A Tea Server Named Lee
by sodapop765
Summary: Lee is a tea server plagued by nightmares living in Ba Sing Se with his Uncle Mushi. Uncle Mushi seems sad for some reason. He shouldn't be; there's no war in Ba Sing Se.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: As one few the few who cling to the old ways like an infant clings to its mother for dear life in the presence of stranger I still feel the almost unnatural component to put disclaimers at the beginning of my fics. So here it is; I do not nor will I ever own ATLA. If I did there would be some sort of consistency regarding Toph's seismic sense as well as Zuko's abilities bending or otherwise.

"_Why am I here!? What's my crime?!"_

"_Relax…just relax…"_

Lee woke up with a start. He had the nightmare again with the strange little girl. It seemed oddly familiar and yet distant. Oh well, he had to get ready for work. He quickly dressed in his best clothes, otherwise known as his other outfit, and put o his apron. He couldn't be late nor did he want to be. Tea was his life. He exitied his room as the fresh smell of Jasmine and Dragonroot hit him. Hmm… and odd combination.

"Good morning, nephew." Said his Uncle Mushi as he poured two cups of tea and set it next to the morning jook. Uncle looked sad, maybe he scalded the leaves? That would be a tragedy.

"Good morning Uncle, everything smells wonderful." Said Lee as he took his place at the table. He took a spoonful of jook. It seemed a bit bland to him. Maybe with some sweet chili flakes…

"Try this new blend. It's good for stimulating the mind." Said Uncle Mushi as he slid Lee's cup closer to him. Lee smiled and took it gratefully. Uncle made great tea and had taught him all he new.

"Very good Uncle, I feel more awake already." Said Lee. He could see his comment moved his uncle because Mushi began to tear up. He drank his tea with gusto, it really was delicious. Soon it was time to depart for the tea shop. Lee smiled and waved to his neighbors not minding their stares at his scar. He got it when…the fire nation attacked his village in the north. Yes, that was it. His family was gone and Uncle Mushi took care of him. He glanced over at his uncle. Mushi was walking a bit more slowly and seemed to be glancing at the early morning shadows. He slowed his gait; sometimes he forgot how old his Uncle was.

"How do you feel today, nephew?" Said Uncle as they arrived at the tea shop and began their preparations for the day.

"Very good, Uncle. Would you like me to list that new blend of yours as a special?" asked Lee. Uncle nodded slowly and then began to brew. Poor uncle, he was getting too old to be on his feet all day. Lee hoped to open his own tea shop someday and take care of his uncle. The boss arrived and gave everything his approval. He remarked about Lee's improved attitude as well. He could remember being angry in the past but he couldn't remember why. It was something about the fire nation. Ah, what they did to his village. Well, he was grateful to be safe in Ba Sing Se away from the war.

"Nephew, we have our first guests." Said his uncle. Lee smoothed his hair and attempted to look friendly.

"Welcome, our special today is a blend of Jasmine and Dragon root." Said Lee noticing the glanced being given to his scar. It was alright, they were curious not malicious. At least, he told himself that. He thought a proverb to fit the situation was got himself so mentally tangled up that he almost missed the order. He'd have to ask his uncle about that later. He went about his day taking orders and assisting with the brewing. He liked taking orders better, he was still a novice brewer. His day was rather uneventful until she came in again. She came in a lot and he had to admit she was rather pretty. He felt nervous.

"Uncle, maybe I can brew for a while and you take the orders." Said Lee nervously. She seemed to be looking for him, no doubt anxious to be served as she had a limited lunch break. His uncle gave him a small smile.

"I see she's back again." Said Uncle Mushi looking over Lee's shoulder.

"Don't look!" said Lee as he not so nonchalantly turned his uncle around.

"Very well nephew, the brewing is almost complete on the leche but don't let the poppy over boil again." Said Uncle to a very relived Lee

"Thank you Uncle." Said Lee as he went to the back to brew. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the girl look a bit disappointed. It must have been his imagination. Aside from that his day progressed normally. By the end of the day he wanted nothing more than to go home and relax, maybe even work on his brewing. He was going to have to learn a lot if he was going to have his own tea shop someday. He and his uncle walked home through the crowded streets of the lower ring. His stomach gurgled as he smelled the sweet dumplings from a bakers cart. He felt the coppers in his pocket. He signed, sweet dumplings would have to wait until pay day.

"Here, take this." Said his uncle giving him a copper piece. Lee shook his head no respectfully. He couldn't take a copper from his hard working old Uncle.

"Uncle, you work so hard for your money. I can't just waste it on frivolities." Said Lee. His Uncle pressed the copper into his hand.

"Let me give you this simple joy my nephew." Said Uncle Mushi his voice hitching at that last word. Lee respectfully accepted it, his Uncle had been acting very strange recently. It must have been a combination of everything the loss of his family and the relocation. What did happen to Uncle's family? He'd ask when Uncle was less upset. He should have been happy, there was no war in Ba Sing Se. He handed the vendor the copper his uncle had given him and then one of his own. Now he and his uncle could enjoy them together with dinner when they got back to the apartment.

"Here Uncle, now we can both have one." Said Lee. Uncle took it wordlessly and stared at it for a while. Lee hoped he had gotten the right kind, there were meat ones took. He was about to say something when Uncle put an arm around his shoulders and they continued on their journey home.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yes, that line is from a fic I read which I don't remember the name of. Not to copy, just to borrow.

Lee ate his dinner with his uncle in silence. Something was troubling his uncle and he didn't know what. He didn't like it. He was worried.

"Uncle?" asked Lee. Uncle Mushi looked up. Yes, there was something on his mind.

"Yes, nephew?" asked Uncle. He looked at his nephew for a long moment. Lee felt nervous all of a sudden.

"What's been bothering you lately?" asked Lee. Uncle looked like he wanted to say something but then glanced out the window.

"Nothing my nephew, let's continue to enjoy our meal." Said Uncle picking at his rice. Lee knew there was something his uncle wasn't telling him.

"No, I know there's something wrong. You've been depressed lately." Said Lee. Uncle looked like he was lost in thought for a moment.

"Do you remember our lives before we came to Ba Sing Se, my nephew?" asked Uncle. Ah, yes that was it.

"We lived in the north west until our village was destroyed. But don't worry, there's no war in Ba Sing Se." said Lee patting his uncle on the shoulder. Uncle looked very upset by that. His breath hitched in his throat and then he pulled Lee over towards him and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug. Sobs racked his body. Lee felt bad, he had hit a nerve. He hugged his Uncle and muttered pleasant encouraging words. Inside he felt like a bag of scalded tea leaves. Scalded cheap tea leaves not fit to be served in their shop. With half eaten stale bread on top. Eventually his uncle calmed down and they went to bed. Lee knew he should do something to cheer his uncle up but what?

The next morning Lee had gotten up very early to make breakfast. All things considered he thought he did a very good job of it. Nothing was burned or tasteless. He stood at the table waiting for his uncle to wake up.

"Good morning nephew." Said Uncle as he took in the spread before him. He could see that his nephew had put in quite an effort.

"Good morning. Here sit, I made breakfast." Said Lee holding out a bowl to his uncle. Uncle Mushi always made breakfast so Lee himself didn't have much experience cooking. He hoped this was alright.

"Thank you, it smells delicious." Said Uncle as he ate his breakfast. Lee joined him and was secretly proud of the job he did. He could see that something was troubling Uncle but he knew now not to pry. It must have been about their lives before. They ate and then made their way to the tea shop. Lee glanced at the sleepy people beginning their day. Lee however was wide awake as was his uncle. They did their respective tasks to get the tea shop open. Their day went as normally as possible until a herd of wild animals tore down the street.

Lee was making a tea run when he saw her again. He panicked, did he stay or did he go? Stay? Or go? She didn't see him yet. He settled on running down the street like a madman but his body refused to obey him. She looked at and made eye contact with him. He felt warmer and warmer as she came over to him. He mentally told himself to form words, preferably intelligent ones.

"Hi." She said shyly.

"Hi." Said Lee forgetting what he was even in the market for. Lee felt his entire body flair up. Behind him a street cooks cart roared up in flame.

"That was…startling." Said Lee trying to sound intelligent.

"Yes…it was." She said in that same stilted tone. It almost sounded like she was as nervous as he was.

"So…what are you doing here? I mean you're shopping what else would you be doing here. Unless you work here that is. I work in a tea shop…but you know that already…because you've seen me working there." Said Lee babbling like a rabbit-monkey.

"Are you always this chatty?" She giggled. Lee smiled and remembered another girl with a much colder laugh. He shook that off. This was going so well.

"Not usually but for you I'll make an exception." Yes, that sounded suave. Girls liked that, right? He racked his brain and couldn't find any experiences flirting with girls. Strange…Ah, now he remembered, he and Uncle worked on a ship and there weren't any women there and afterwards…he guessed it just didn't ever come up. Odd.

"Well, I'm flattered." She said standing a bit closer to him. He felt a strange sense of familiarity from this. Wait, he had liked a girl before when he was a kid. Now was not the time to be contemplating childhood!

"Well flattered, you uh…still haven't told me what brings you here." said Lee stumbling a bit. He had to stay cool, girls liked that and he liked this girl. He didn't know why, but he did.

"My name's Jin and I'm here getting something for lunch before I head over to your tea shop." Said Jin. Jin, that was a nice name. Simply pretty like her.

"I'm Lee and I'm here to uh…but some more tea. Because Uncle sent me here a while ago to buy tea." Said Lee succumbing to nervousness now. She was very close; he could smell her perfume. Lily. Nothing fancy but still nice. He didn't know if he should take a step closer or a step back. Thankfully, a loud scream took that decision from him. He saw a tiger-dillo charging down the street followed by a few other wild animals and even some household pets. Later on he would laugh at the fact that while there was no war in Ba Sing Se there were plenty of wild carnivorous animals roaming the streets. As for now he sprang into action suing reflexes he didn't even know he had. He dragged Jin into an alley and did a series of jumps until they were on the roof. She clung to him terrified but soon relaxed. So did Lee. The view from up here was…nice. They could see the dust trail the animals left as well as the large gate separating the farmlands from the city opening.

"Lee?" asked Jin wondering if she was dreaming. Up on the rooftop in Lee's arms…after being chased by a herd of wild animals in the middle of the market.

"That was…strange." Said Lee hoping he wasn't high on cactus tea. What had possessed his uncle to give him that? It had been interesting; he was the prince of the fire nation in his fantasy and dragons were giving him advice. Then he was the fire lord and the blue dragon was laughing at him. And the red dragon was crying and then there was a white flying monster. Never again. He was never having cactus anything again.

"Yeah it was but how did we get up here?" asked Jin. They weren't incredibly high up but it was still quite a climb even if Lee was on his own.

"I'm…not sure." Said Lee. He had acted on muscle memory alone. He was going to have to ask his Uncle about their past. When Uncle Mushi was feeling up to it of course.


	3. Chapter 3

Please review your input is appreciated.

"I-I'm not sure. I just knew we had to get out of here." Said Lee looking down. People were yelling and letting loose curses that would make a sailor blush. Merchandise was everywhere…Lee felt sorry for them. So much lost money.

"That was amazing! You were like an acrobat!" said Jin as she took in the view around her. She could see her job from up there and even her building if she squinted.

"Yeah, I guess I was." Said Lee nervously. Jin was looking at him and he felt put on the spot. How had he done that? He hated these gaps in his memory. Maybe an old head injury?

"Where'd you learn that?" asked Jin as she walked along the roof taking in the pandemonium below her. A small oil fire had broken out and people were arguing instead of trying to put it out like sensible people.

"I-I'm not sure." Said Lee looking down

"What do you mean you're not sure?" said Jin in a teasing tone. She looked more somber as Lee looked at her.

"I mean I don't know." Said Lee. Jin felt bad and took his hand in hers. She knew she was being forward but she really liked him. He was always so polite and even handsome even with the scar. At first she had been shocked but it quickly became just another part of him. Or rather the him she had pictured in her mind.

"Like you have don't remember?" asked Jin. Lee nodded.

"There are some gaps. I know that I'm from the north and I lost everyone but my Uncle and that me and my father didn't get along." Said Lee. The wheels in her head were turning. She had read something like this in a story once. The peasant girl found a noble man lost on the road. She took him in and fell in love with him even though he had amnesia. Then he got his memory back and they lived in fabulous wealth forever and ever. Hmm…Lee didn't have his memory…and he did have noble-ish features.

"Maybe you have amnesia?" asked Jin. Lee cocked his only eyebrow.

"What's that? It sounds catching." Said Lee

"It's when you either hurt your head and lose your memory or you see something traumatic and loose your memory." Said Jin. Lee felt his scar…it would make sense.

"Makes sense." Said Lee absentmindedly tracing Jin's hand with his other thumb. Jin almost squealed, this was a sign. At least in stories prolonged handholding was a sign. She knew they'd be good together ever since she had first set foot in the tea shop that fateful day. One of her friends from work had told her about a surly scarred but still handsome boy working in Pao's tea shop. She watched him the entire time she had been there. He walked almost like a noble but without the airs that slumming upper ring people had. Her imagination went with her and she imagined him fighting fire benders from his village and getting that scar. She went back almost every single day but he never spoke to her. She knew that she had to take matters into her own hands.

"Oh no! I have to get back work!" said Jin realizing how long they had been on that roof. She hoped that her boss would accept the animals as an acceptable reason for lateness.

"Get on my back and I'll get us down." Said Lee. Jin blushed but got on his back. She could feel his muscled through his tea servers uniform. Her mother would have an ostrich-horse is she could see Jin like that. They climbed down and Jin held onto him for dear life. Eventually they made it down and out of the alley. A passing old woman gave her a look but Jin paid her no mind.

"So…do you want to continue this discussion later tonight when we're both done with work?" asked Jin. shyly. Lee swallowed and bean to shift his weight. Words. He needed words.

"Yes, that'd be wonderful." Said Lee. There. Those were words. Good words. Jin gave him an small smile and clasped his hand in hers quickly.

"Alright, I'll be at Pao's later tonight." Said Jin. Lee nodded, now he definitely couldn't find or even remember any words. He watched her walk over back to work before he remembered his own job. He quickly ran back to Pao's. he entered through the door and was enveloped in a warm hug by his Unlce Mushi.

"I thought I'd lost you." Said Uncle Mushi holding him. Lee couldn't blame him, someone must have gotten hurt with all of those animals tearing through the lower ring. He didn't know that real reason why his thought he'd be gone.

"Uncle, I'm alright. I'm sorry I didn't get the tea but you know…the animals." Said Lee awkwardly. There were more people that normal in the shop seeking refuge from the animals and also calming tea. He felt bad, there wasn't very much of the popular blends left.

"Yes, I understand. I think that under the circumstances we'll just have to make do." Said Uncle Mushi. He seemed troubled but then again who wouldn't be. They had come to Ba Sing Se to be safe. He wondered why those animals were out and about in the first place. Lee didn't know that is uncle had seen the Avatar leading those animals through the ring. He wanted his nephew to remember but not like that.

"The market is kind of wrecked. Kind of very wrecked. But at least I finally talked to Jin; the girl that's always in here." Said Lee. He hoped that someone had put that fire out. It didn't matter who's merchandise was on fire if it was all burned up. He hopes Jin was alright and that she remembered their date that night.

"So who will I invite to the wedding?" Joked Uncle Mushi, it sounded a bit forced. Lee hoped that Uncle Mushi didn't think he was being replaced. He was growing up and this is what people did when they grew up.

"Uncle! It's only a date." Said Lee embarrassed. Uncle wished that his nephew would have yelled at him and then stormed off like before. He wanted his nephew to be happy but not like this. Unfortunately he had to stay in Ba Sing Se for reasons…important reasons. Reasons he wished that he didn't have.

"Well don't do anything I wouldn't do." Laughed Uncle Mushi clasping his nephew on the shoulder warmly. Lee was so nervous and almost dropped the tea a few times…this had been some day. He rushed home and washed up for his date He put on his nicest set of clothes and tried to make himself look presentable. Afterwards Uncle has pressed several coins into his palm and told him to show her a good time. But not too good. He wanted to bang his head against the wall to forget the rest of that conversation. He rushed out the door and went back to Pao's to wait. And wait. He began to panic. What if she had forgotten? What is he had taken to much time getting ready? What if she had been mugged? What if she was out with someone else? What if the Dai Li got her? Wait, what? They protected the cultural heritage of the city and wouldn't be arresting people.

"Hi." Said Jin looking considerably fancier than when he had seen her last. He lost his train of thought and shuffled. She shuffled.

"Are you hungry?" asked Lee suddenly. She smiled and nodded. He held her hand and they went out for noodles. They ate in silence; neither of them had even been on a date before.

"So…" said Jin. She looked at him and he looked at her.

"So…what do you do? I mean for work?" asked Lee trying to break the silence that was weighing down on them.

"I'm a seamstress." Said Jin wishing that she did something better. She didn't much like her job sewing fancy robes and dresses for people in the middle and upper rings that she would never get to wear.

"Well I work in a tea shop…but I guess you already know that." Said Lee nervously

"Do you remember what you did before you came to Ba Sing Se?" said Jin. Lee shook his head.

"Not really, it's very vague." Said Lee eating some of his bland noodles. This could really use some sweet chili.

"Maybe you were in a circus." Said Jin. Lee laughed and almost choked on his noodles. A circus?

"Really?" asked Lee. Jin gave him a playful swat on the arm.

"Well, you did jump through the air like an acrobat." Said Jin. Acrobat…

"I remember something about…a pink acrobat girl…or something." Said Lee. Jin stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Talking about another girl? Well!" said Jin in mock indignation. Lee smiled and laughed s bit. A waiter came by with a steaming tea pot. A simple green tea and poppy blend from the smell of it.

"Sir, would you and your girlfriend like some more tea?" asked the waiter. Jin looked expectantly at him.

"We'd both like some." Said Lee watching her face for clues as to how she felt. He was relieved when he saw how happy she looked. Something told him it wasn't about the tea. They ate and then went for a walk. This part of the lower ring wasn't too sketchy. It was actually a nice night.

"C'mon, I'll show you the fire light fountain. It's my favorite spot in the lower ring." Said Jin. They walked hand in hand through the streets with Jin getting progressively closer to him. They reached the unit fountain.

"Oh no." said Jin. It was dark and nobody was around. She looked so disappointed.

"It's alright…maybe it'll be lit next time." said Lee his voice getting progressively lower. Jin looked over and him and he looked at her. He took her hand and she was getting closer and closer to him. Her other hand was on his shoulder and his hand was on her waist. He gathered himself and kissed her. A bit awkwardly but he couldn't really remember ever kissing another girl. This was nice.


	4. Chapter 4

Please review, I'll take praise or criticism. Maybe even both if you guys can manage.

Lee and Jin kissed under the unlit fountain. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and his hands were on her waist. This was perfect. They broke apart and looked at each other, then the ground, then at nothing in particular.

"So…" said Lee holding Jin's hand.

"Yeah…" said Jin. That had been amazing but now she worried if they were going too fast. She wanted to be with him but she also wanted him to love and respect her. He didn't really seem like the kind of boy who was only after one thing.

"You want to…do this again?" asked Lee an odd feeling of…loss within him. He felt that this was…not wrong but not right either. He ignored it, Jin was great and he was sixteen. He was sixteen and he had never gad a girlfriend.

"Sure." Said Jin looking up at him with her green eyes as she played with her pigtail. His eyes were gold, probably from the colonies up north. She didn't care about that, they were pretty.

"Great." Said Lee. They kissed again and he walked her home, hand in hand. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was…off. He got the odd feeling that it was because of where she was from…? Hmm…he was from the north and she looked more like she was from the south. It didn't matter, Uncle Mushi approved and that was what mattered.

"See you tomorrow." Said Jin as they reached her building. He wanted to kiss her again and again but this was a crowded area and people could see.

"Tomorrow." Said Lee. Jin looked around and kissed him quickly, hoping her mother hadn't seen. She might not have been a noble with tiny bound feet but she was still expected to be held to certain standard of behavior. Later on she'd go over the date in her head and wonder if she had been too forward. Taking into account the fact that Lee certainly wasn't going to make the first move of course. She watched Lee walk down the street with his head held high, long confident strides,…almost like a noble.

"How was your date nephew?" asked Uncle Mushi as he sat down on the ground with flickering candles around him. Lee was confused for a moment before the word meditation came to mind.

"It was…nice." Said Lee turning red. Uncle cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. On the one hand he was glad that his nephew was finally finding happiness. On the other hand he hated himself for who his nephew had become. It could be reversed…he hoped. The cactus tea had been promising until his nephew had proclaimed himself an airbender and attempted to fly out the window. If he could only get him to the north pole…somehow. He didn't care how.

"Would you like to join me?" asked Uncle Mushi. To Lee it didn't sound like a request so he sat down with his Uncle on the floor by the candles. Uncle closed his eyes and began to inhale and exhale. Lee simply sat there trying to keep his mind from going back to Jin.

"Hmm…" said Lee thinking back to what Jin said. Amnesia. It would make sense seeing as how he couldn't remember much. He suddenly got the urge to go to Lake Laogi. What? This was not the time for swimming.

"You are not meditating my nephew." Said Uncle. Lee was taken from his internal musings.

"Uncle…where did we live before this?" asked Lee. Uncle Mushi looked startled and exhaled. The candles almost seemed like they were glowing brighter.

"In a place we can never go back to." Said Uncle. He wanted so desperately to shake his nephew and tell him everything but it was something that his nephew would have to come to on his own. He could nudge a little but not push. Such a thing could send him back to the Dai Li or even destroy the mind its self. Extensive experimentation was done to try and correct the damage done by the Dai Li when he was still a general.

"Oh…but what was it like?" said Lee. He could see the pain in his Uncle's eyes. He must have really missed their home. He could picture it now… at least what he hoped it would be. His family in a large home maybe over his uncle's tea shop. And him working down there while his sister was above him with their father. Being praised and praised. For what?...Something he obviously couldn't do.

"It was…a very large village near the water." Said Uncle choosing his words carefully. Lee looked thoughtful for a minute.

"And that made it easy for the Fire Nation to attack?" said Lee. He was remembering more now. Water. He was on a boat for a very long time. Maybe after they escaped they became sailors. On a metal ship. Well, it would make sense. Metal was earth and this was the earth kingdom.

"Yes, the Fire Nation found it very easy to attack." Said Uncle Mushi knowingly. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Lee felt very bad about opening up old wounds. He got up and went to bed, his shadow being thrown by the flickering candles.

The next morning went very much like any other day. Neither of them mentioned their conversation the night before. The subject of Jin, in fact, did come up. Lee wished his Uncle would stop talking about…that. People his Uncle's age didn't do, think, or talk about that. He was making Lee think about that. He tried and tried to change the conversation to the subject of tea, a mutual love of theirs, but Uncle wanted to talk about his love. Or really, really like. He knew he really, really liked Jin but he wasn't sure if he loved her. He had been on one date, he didn't propose! But if he had they could do that…thank you uncle! Yet another thing to distract him.

"Wonderful." Said Lee. He had scalded the leaves. His uncle was letting him do a simple brew that day but he had scalded the leaves. The fire seemed to have a life of its own that day. It was making him mad, very mad. He wasn't usually mad. He had a great life. There was no war in Ba Sing Se.

"Perhaps I should take over…at least during the lunch rush." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee was very frusterated. He could do this! He wasn't a failure!

"I can do this!" said Lee angrily. The flame under the tea pot seemed to jump with his words. The regulars gave each other knowing glances. Mushi's nephew was back to normal.

"I'm not saying you can't I'm simply saying that as the student you have not yet surpassed the master." Said Uncle. He seemed worried about something. Ah yes, the tea. That fire had really seemed to jump…maybe he was using too much kindling?

"Fine." Said Lee taking the servers tray. A patron came up to pay and whispered to Uncle Mushi that this phase didn't last forever. Lee was unhappy the rest of the day. Everyone thought he was a failure even Uncle Mushi. He was getting progressively angrier until he saw Jin. She didn't look happy either.

"Hi Lee." She said softly. His face softened and he sat down next to her. He took her hand in his.

"What's wrong?" asked Lee. He exchanged a look with his Uncle. Uncle Mushi nodded and began to brew and serve. He felt bad about making his old Uncle work so hard but it would only be for a few minutes.

"My mother, my life, everything." Said Jin. Lee put an arm around her and pulled her close.

"What do you mean?" asked Lee. Jin looked up at her, green eyes locking up with his gold ones. For a moment it felt like they were the only two people in the entire shop, city, the earth kingdom, …the world.

"She's upset about me and what happened yesterday." Said Jin sadly. Everything had gone to Koh in a hand basket. Her mother worked as a vendor in the middle ring. She sold hair pieces ij their indoor version of the marketplace. When the animals came it wasn't only restricted to the lower ring and it wasn't only wild animals. There was a pet vendor there next to her and something came over his animals that day. They rampaged through the indoor market place and ruined her stand and her merchandise. They were in a comfortable financial place but now they were relying on what Jin made as a seamstress. On top of that her mother was upset about how long she was out with Lee and that they had kissed in front of the building. Her mother had said some very unkind things about Jin and her character. Jin told her mother that she was living in a different time and all they had done was kiss. T had not been a pleasant night.

"Our date?" asked Lee. He hoped that he hadn't gotten her in trouble. He shouldn't have kissed her even though they both wanted to. It was going too fast. He had dishonored her. He should have courted her, met her parents, sent her gifts. Yes, that was how it was done in his village.

"Mostly the animals." Said Jin. Lee looked confused. That wasn't Jin's fault. He had heard that it was some crazy earthbender who thought it would be a good idea to free all the animals at the zoo and destroy acres and acres of farmland.

"That's not your fault, why's she mad at you?" Said Lee. Jin shook her head sadly. It was much more complicated than that. Her mother always blamed her for everything.

"She lost her business when the animals tore through the middle ring market. And she's mad that I was with you. She said I was acting like, well, a floozy." Said Jin. Lee pulled her close.

"You are the farthest thing from a floozy that a person can possibly be." Said Lee. Jin smiled as Lee let her go.

"My mother doesn't think so. Besides, I'm going to have to work more hours to try and make enough for my family to survive until my mother finds a new job so I won't be able to see you as often." Said Jin sadly. Lee didn't want to think about not being able to see her. It made him feel cold inside like something within him was going out.

"Things will work out, don't worry." Said Lee. He had the mad impulse to offer her a job at the shop but then remembered that he had to talk to is uncle about that and they really didn't need anyone else. They were making decent money here and he felt that they could afford to hire someone else. That is of course that this shop even paid more than her job. What was her job anyway?

"You think so?" asked Jin. Lee nodded and Uncle put two cups of tea in front of them.

"I was young once too but I will have to ask you both so separate a little more. You're making people feel a bit uncomfortable." Said Uncle. Lee and Jin broke apart quickly. Just because it felt like they were the only two people in the shop didn't mean that they actually were.

"No thank you." Said Jin pushing the cup of tea back towards Uncle Mushi. I was going to be a while before she could afford cups of tea again, daily or otherwise. Uncle would have none of that and pushed the cup back towards her.

"On the house." Said Uncle fondly. Jin gave him a grateful smile and took a sip. This was the best tea in the lower ring. It tasted good. The words hot leaf juice came to mind when she thought of the other tea shops in the lower ring even though that was what all tea essentially was. She still felt bad for taking it though, because of what had happened to the farmlands the price of everything from tea to vegetables to meat was going to go way up.

"Thank you." Said Lee as eh and Jin drank their tea. Eventually his break ran out and he had to get back to work. She said she could meet him for an hours or two after work but had to be home earlier. She didn't want to make her mother angry at her any more than she already was. Day was turning to night and Jin was on his mind more and more. That is until that guy they met in the ferry…jet was it…came bursting in and accused them of being fire benders. That was crazy, they were earth kingdom…weren't they?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! Much appreciated!

"Have you been hitting the cactus tea?" asked Lee. Him, a fire bender? He strongly suspected he was mixed but if he was a bender he'd know it. Right?

"What?" asked Jet in confusion. He was expecting denial and attack; not this. He didn't even look scared…it was a ruse! These Fire Nation scum could never be trusted. Jet took out his swords and held them threateningly.

"It's like cactus juice only boiled on a low flame with some sweet lemon and-" started Lee before Jet took a menacing step forward. Lee jumped back and saw a guard's dual dao swords. Something awakened within him when he took the swords in his hands. He body seemed to act on its own accord.

"Stop that this instant!" bellowed Uncle Mushi as he stepped into the middle of the fray. Lee wanted to stop and tried to but Jet just wouldn't stop.

"You're half water tribe!" Lee yelled taking in Jet's brown hair and dark skin. It wasn't tanned by the sun, he could tell, even if Jet had brown earth kingdom eyes.

"Lying Fire Nation scum!" said Jet breaking a hole in the wall. The patrons had all run out into the street and Uncle Mushi was trying to get help. A guard stepped into the fray and earth bent Jet halfway into the ground. This seemed to shake the other guards from their stupor and they arrested Jet for starting street brawls and destroying private property. Iroh knew he had to protect his confused nephew. The Dai Li had already messed with his mind; the next step could be killing him.

"I'm sorry Uncle but he attacked me and-" started Lee. Uncle crushed him in a hug right there in front of everyone. Lee wasn't embarrassed, he could see that his uncle didn't want to lose the last member of their family.

"Crazy kid." Muttered Pao as he surveyed the damage to his shop. He wasn't angry with Lee and Mushi, they were the finest tea makers in the city, he was angry with that kid. Lee and Mushi were mixed, any moron hopped up on cactus juice off the street could see that, but judging by Lee's scar they had no love for the fire nation.

"I'm sorry." Said Lee bowing respectfully to Pao. He felt cold on the inside, he had failed his Uncle. He surveyed the damage to the shop, his only source of income. Now he and his Uncle would be out of a job just as the price of not only food but everything was going up.

"It's not your fault." Said Pao. He had shooed the patrons out. They needed to close early seeing as how half the shop was destroyed. There was broken wood and porcelain everywhere. It crunched under their shoes.

"We feel responsible." Said Uncle Mushi as he surveyed the damage to the shop. He looked very worried and Lee didn't blame him. Aside from the damages and the unemployment he also knew that Uncle Mushi thought of this shop as his own.

"Just stay late today and come in tomorrow to fix whatever we can. We'll have to buy whatever can't be repaired." Said Pao. Lee bowed respectfully along with his Uncle but inside he was on fire. They weren't unemployed! They still had jobs! Not like Jin's mom…poor Jin. He'd have to find a way to help her. They stayed for a few hours and fixed whatever it was they could before heading home. it was very late at night and they walked quickly. Eventually they reached their building.

"Uncle, how would you know if you were a bender?" asked Lee as they entered their apartment. Uncle Mushi gave him an odd look. This would be a good time to nudge him back a bit to who he was. Or this could be the thing to set him over the edge and then they'd have to flee the city and live life as fugitives. And the entire order of the White Lotus would be calling for his head.

"Well you'd have to try and bend it first of all to see if you actually were a bender and not just very in tune to your element." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee felt like he should just take the plunge and ask.

"Uncle, could I be a fire bender?" asked Lee meekly. Uncle Mushi gave a nod.

"It is a distinct possibility." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee felt like someone have poured a bucket of cold water all over him. Him…a fire bender? But, how was that possible? He felt sick.

"I-I can't be a fire bender. They're…evil." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi took a deep calming breath. He looked mad. Lee didn't blame him. There was no war in Ba Sing Se! Whoa….where had that come from?

"An entire element, and entire people, cannot be blamed for the actions of a few. That boyy back there looked to be part Water Tribe. Would you blame the water tribe for his actions?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee knew what his Uncle was getting at but it wasn't the Water Tribe's fault that they were refugees. The Water Tribe wasn't out to concure the world.

"But all of this isn't the Water Tribe's fault!" said Lee. Uncle Mushi looked cross for a moment. Lee wondered why his Uncle was defending the Fire Nation. Even if they were mixed they didn't owe the Fire Nation any loyalty.

"Do you know of Chin the Conqueror?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee shook his head no. that didn't sound like a Fire Nation name.

"No." said Lee. Uncle Mushi sat him down on the floor and then lit some candles. Lee noticed how he made sure that all the shades were drawn before he did this.

"He was an Earth Kingdom conqueror centuries ago. He tried to conquer the entire Earth Kingdom until he was killed by Avatar Kyoshi." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee bristled at the word Avatar and he didn't know why. The Avatar was back, everyone knew that, but nobody knew where he was. Some people said that he came to a party hosted by the Earth King but that was just second hand upper ring gossip. With all that was going on you'd think that he had more important things to do than attend stuffy society parties.

"Why would he try and conquer his own people?" asked Lee. That didn't make any sense. He could understand taking other nation's land to build your own up but to steal from your own countrymen made no sense.

"Because he saw the potential to make himself a new ruler. At this time the Earth Kingdom was ruled by a tyrannical Earth King. The people felt that they would be better under Chin. Those that didn't were killed so you can imagine where people flocked to. He was only defeated when he threatened the peninsula that Avatar Kyoshi claimed as her domain. She severed it from the mainland and killed him. Then she went on to live for another two centuries but that's a story for another day." Said Uncle. Lee looked thoughtful for a minute.

"But the Fire Nation isn't hurting its self, it's hurting the world." Said Lee. Iroh didn't know how to feel. On the one hand his nephew was finally starting to get it but on the other hand this wasn't his nephew. Not mentally anyway.

"How can a centuries long conflict not hurt the Fire Nation? People have been needlessly dying on both sides for century my nephew. It is unbalanced for everyone. This can only end badly." Said Uncle Mushi. Later on Lee would have to ask Uncle Mushi how he knew so much about history.

"The Avatar has to kill the Firelord then?" asked Lee. Uncle Mushi was silent for a moment. Iroh didn't know what to say. On the one hand yes the Firelord would have to die but on the other hand someone would have to succeed him. That and the fact that his nephew was talking about taking out his own father. Iroh had no love for his brother.

"Yes but he must also make sure that the next Firelord won't simply continue the war. It will be difficult but it has been done before." Said Uncle. Lee was confused; there was a century long war before this one?

"There was a war like this before?" asked Lee. Uncle Mushi lined the lit candles up and then sat on the other side of them.

"Yes, many times in the past. The Water Empire once stretched through the Earth Kingdom and even parts of the Fire Nation. Now the only remnants of this is the foggy swamp water benders and some on places like Kyoshi island that have the look of Earth Kingdom peoples." Said Uncle Mushi. Wow, a water empire. But that didn't make any sense. The Water Barbarians couldn't have possibly had the intelligence and ability to create an entire empire. Wait? Where had that come from? The Water Tribes were Earth Kingdom allies.

"How could there have been an entire water empire?" asked Lee. Uncle Mushi looked like an over worked school master for a moment.

"The can command the seas my nephew. Their ships needn't rely on fuel, currents, the wind, or even the tides. They were only defeated when the air nation decided to take over and defeat them." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee looked at his Uncle like he had gone senile. Air Nation? The Air nomads were a peaceful people of monks and nuns. Complete pacifists. They didn't even eat meat.

"Uncle, that's crazy. Air nomads are pacifists, always reacting and never acting. The loved freedom more than anything. Freedom for family even." Said Lee. Now eh was starting to wonder how he knew so much about history. He had to admit that they were a fascinating people even if their way of life was forging to him.

"Is it? Nephew, their temples are scattered throughout the Earth Kingdom but they must have had other settlements. They were nomads after all. There is a bit of every element in us. A fire bender can use the heat within a person to cook them from the inside out. An Earth Bender can bend the minerals in bones and maybe even the iron in blood if this is a master earth bender. A water bender can pull water not only from the seas but from anywhere that there is water. From the ground, the air, the plants, and yes even people. But the amounts of the elements in these cases are so minute that only a master or someone extremely powerful can bend it. Air is everywhere my nephew. A novice air bender can get a large group of other air benders and call down hundred mile per hour winds if he so cose to. Typhoons and tsunamis could be created if they were working with water benders." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee looked scared now. He didn't know why but he was filled with the memory of a strong wind pushing him over the side of a ship. And then cold inky blackness.

"Could they bend the air from someone's lungs?" asked Lee quietly. His uncle nodded solemnly.

"Could and did. They could also fly my nephew. Not only with their bison animal companions but also on their gliders. They waged war with the world setting up settlements not only near their temples but also in places like the Wa Shi Tong desert. Some people even say that they crossed the great sea and made it to the other side of the world." Said Uncle Mushi

"Impossible. The spirit world is on the other side of the great sea. It's guarded by all sorts of sea monsters like sea-dragons, tiger-whales, and lion-turtles. That's why everyone thinks these animals are extinct, they're protecting the spirit world." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi cocked a grey eyebrow. So his nephew had been listening those three long years.

"True but have you ever entertained the idea that with the power of flight they would be protected from the monsters within the sea." Said Uncle. Lee had to admit to himself that it could have been possible. Eventually they would need to rest but who was he to say that there were no islands of any kind there that they could rest on. The thought of anyone crossing the great sea into the spirit world did terrify him however.

"Scary." Said Lee simply. Uncle Mushi gave him a small smile.

"Quite. Of course how do we even know if it's the spirit world over there? There could be other people there thinking that this side is the spirit world. We can never know. If the Air Nomads did make it that far then everyone had reason to worry. They were eventually defeated by Avatar Yangchen who then crowned herself Sky Lady Yangchen and started the temple system. She came from what the air nomads called a sky clan which lived simply in the temples. Other Air Nomads paid tribute to the temples and their air spirits but they didn't believe as her clan did." Said Uncle Mushi

"Were there many clans?" asked Lee. This was interesting. He had always pictured them as care free pacifist monks that spent their days playing and meditating. Now to know that they did in fact have families, clans even, and that they could in fact wage war mad him wonder how they were exterminated in the first place.

"Yes, very many. There were the Temple Sky Clans, The Desert Clans, The Wave Clans which intermarried with the water tribes, the Phoenix clans which intermarried with the Fire Nation people. That could also explain the appearance of the people of Fire." Said Uncle Mushi

"What do you mean?" asked Lee. He thought back to the way he looked. Black hair, gold eyes, tall, almost noble looking.

"Well, originally the Fire Nation was the Sun Clan. They were a people who worshipped the Sun Spirit Agni and also a few other spirits such as the spirit of life, the spirits of the volcanos, and yes even the spirit of the world." Said Uncle Musi

"The Avatar." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi shook his head no.

"The Avatar spirit is different from the avatar person. The avatar person is simply a vessel for the spirit of the world." Said Uncle Mushi

"Are all benders vessels for spirits then?" asked Lee

"No. the ability to bend is part heredity and part spirituality. A person born in the water tribe with the right level of spirituality can become a water bender and maybe even another bender if their parents were from another nation. But they can never bend another element that is not in their blood." Said Uncle Mushi

"But from what you said about the other empires then don't we all have a bit of every nation in us?" asked Lee thinking back to his eyes. His Uncle had the same eyes so they must have been part fire nation.

"Precisely. We are all a part of each other. I dare to sya that there may even be other air benders around. Either they don't know that they're benders or they are part of ancient air clans that survived Yangchen's purge." Said Uncle Mushi

"Purge? Why would she kill her own people? That makes no sense?" asked Lee

"She was a well-intentioned extremist my nephew. She saw the terrible suffering that her people were inflicting upon the world and decided that if they all followed her way, the Sky Clan way of simple living and pacifism, then peace and balance could be restored to the world. Unfortunately most people didn't want to give up what they had. She allied herself with what was then still known as the sun people waged war upon the factions of Air Nomad society which wouldn't follow her. Those were long and bloody years in which benders from every nation, even Earth Kingdom water benders, rallied against the Air Nomads. After this many clans were destroyed or went into hiding leaving only the Sky Clan." Said Uncle Mushi

"So there could be Air Benders everywhere?" asked Lee

"Yes, but unless they try to bend air they will never know. Air is a difficult element to test for my nephew. If a puddles moves up a slop, a fire comes from nowhere, or a rock goes flying through the air with no obvious source then obviously bending was performed. The Air can't be seen and it can always be felt moving. That is why it is difficult." Said Uncle Mushi

"So if I tried to bend the flame would it move?" asked Lee

"You must try and see for yourself." Said Uncle Mushi. With a lick of his wrist the fire was sitting in the palm of his hand. He tossed it to Lee and as if acting on instinct he caught it. And didn't get burned. He was a fire bender.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Iroh's history lesson was mean to teach Zuko that not all people of a nation are bad just because of the actions of a few and that there have been other wars involving other nations in the past so the fire nation isn't the ultimate source of all evil.

Lee knew he must have been dreaming. Or hallucinating. Or something. Anything but this. He was a fire bender. He could bend fire. He dropped it as soon as he caught it and Uncle put it out.

"What…what was that?" asked Lee. He felt sick. His head felt like it was going to explode. He needed answers!

"Many in our family line have been fire benders. It is not the ability to bend but what we do with it which determines us to be good or evil." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee was feeling angry. He felt some kind of an all encompassing anger that seemed to make his very spirit burn. Small fire began to start and Uncle was putting them out.

"When were you planning on telling me?!" said Lee angrily. Uncle Mushi gave him a strange look. It sounded odd to Lee's ears as well. Uncle Mushi didn't know about his memory loss after all so he couldn't have reasonably expected Lee not to know he was a bender.

"I assumed you knew." Said Uncle Mushi evenly. Lee instantly felt guilty for yelling at his old Uncle. Hmm, maybe this was why he couldn't remember. And the reason for his scar. He suspected that whatever had given him his scar had also given him amnesia.

"I'm sorry I shouted Uncle, I meant you no disrespect." Said Lee. It was time to come clean to his Uncle about not being able to remember. And his dreams about the lake and the light. There was no war in Ba Sing Se.

"None taken, I too was once your age. I understand how one's emotions can get the better of them at your age." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee shook his head. He had to tell his Uncle everything now before he lost his nerve.

"It's not that. I can't…remember." Said Lee. Well, this was it.

"Remember what?" said Uncle Mushi. Iroh knew full well what his nephew couldn't remember. This was a dangerous game they were playing. On the one hand he wanted only the most happiness for his nephew but on the other hand the realization could destroy him.

"Everything! It's all a big blur." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi put a reassuring hand on his arm. Iroh wanted nothing more than to blurt out the truth but he knew that he had to tread lightly.

"I have heard of things like this. You must remember on your own and if all else fails we can find you a water tribe healer." Said Uncle Mushi

"But I'm a fire bender." Said Lee. Why would a water bender help him? Sure, people had been waging war with the other nations for all of history but people cared about this war, now. There was no war in Ba Sing Se. That didn't mean that there was no war outside of Ba Sing Se.

"Did you get nothing from what I said?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee gave an exaggerated sigh. Why couldn't his Uncle see?

"I know, I know. Just because some people from a nation are evil doesn't mean everyone from that nation is evil and that other nations have started wars with other nations in the past. I know uncle but people don't care about that." Said Lee

"You'd be surprised, my nephew." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee couldn't handle any more surprises. What was next? He was the Avatar? A Prince? He has an evil twin who is also a dragon spirit incarnated?

"I can't handle any more surprises Uncle. We're both fire benders; that all the surprise I'll ever need. Is this why we left my family? They didn't like that I was a bender?" asked Lee

"No, because you weren't a good enough bender." Said Uncle Mushi solemnly. Lee was confused and raised his good eyebrow.

"Wait, they wanted me to be a good fire bender? That makes no sense. I figured that we were mixed, that's obvious. Wait, were we from a colony? It'd make sense then that my family would want me to be a bender. But then why would the fire nation destroy their own colony? Maybe it's like with the Air Nomad Avatar. We didn't do things their way and they got rid of us. I guess the fire nation didn't like all the mixing or something?" aid Lee. He had to be mixed, he just knew he was. If he wasn't why would they have been allowed in the city?

"They certainly don't like mixed people." Said Uncle Mushi. He could see that his nephew was clinging to the notion that he was part Earth Kingdom like a dying man clings to the first source of water he finds. If he was to push now he didn't know what could happen. He couldn't lose another son in this city.

"We're all mixed a little. You said so yourself." Said Lee trying to make himself feel better. If everyone was mixed then it wasn't so bad. Uncle Mushi would agree and he was wise about more things than just tea.

"Yes, we all are. The Water Tribes the least out of all of us but they are very isolationist. There are very few people in the fire nation that have the look of the original sun people. In fact, I've seen a few people that have the chestnut haired, round faced, grey eyed look of the air nomads." Said Uncle Mushi thinking of a chi blocker he knew all too well.

"Like Jin." Said Lee. She had chestnut hair and a round face. Her eyes were brown not grey but she could have been part air nomad. So she was mixed too and that was alright.

"You're lady friend? You think she may be part air nomad?" asked Uncle Mushi. It was true she didn't look like what one would expect a resident of the Earth Kingdom to look like. It was certainly a possibility.

"Yes. I mean if she's part something else and I'm part something else then everything will be alright, right?" said Lee. Iroh wondered for a moment, a moment where he hated himself, if he could leave his nephew like this. Prince Zuko would have at this moment been plotting how to capture the Avatar and try to win his father's love. Love which Ozai did not deserve. After capturing the Avatar things wouldn't be better. The Avatar would be kept barley alive in the darkest cell Ozai could find. He might even find a way to give Azula credit for the capture. As Lee his nephew could have something akin to a life. He could seek his own destiny. He could have a happy life. But it wouldn't be a true life, would it? His nephew would never be Lee. Lee wasn't real. Lee would only exist as long as his nephew didn't.

"I'm not sure. She may not take the issue as well as you are." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee could understand that but maybe she'd feel better if Uncle Mushi talked to her. Uncle Mushi was very wise, he seemed to know a lot of everything.

"But you could talk you her. You're wise and she'd listen." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi looked moved by his nephew's comment. Iroh had longed for his nephew to listen to him, to say that he was wise and he had listened to what Iroh had told him.

"You seem very serious about her. Are you sure that's wise?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee looked affronted. Of course he was serious about Jin. Sure they had one date but he knew he cared for her. he felt close to her in a way. He knew about how her mother treated her and he got the impression that his father was also like that. They were both refugees. They liked each other. Why shouldn't he be serious about her.

"Why not?" asked Lee. Uncle Musi got that look again. Oh no, not this talk again. He was going to make a sigh that said that he wasn't going to be bringing home any grand nieces and nephews any time soon. He'd hand it on the door or paint it on the ceiling. That ought to get the message across. Iroh was worried about something else. Zuko would have to be fire lord. The Fire Nation would not accept an Earth Kingdom Fire Lady. That and Iroh was young once too and he knew how quickly things could progress.

"You've only been on one date." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee could see his logic in that.

"Because she has to work extra hard now that her mother's job was destroyed by those animals. And her mother kind of doesn't like her being with me." Said Lee. He wished he could just tell her mother that nothing like that happened and that Jin was a good girl.

"Well, I'd like you to get to know her better before you start planning the wedding." Said Uncle Mushi. He got up slowly on creaky old bones with Lee's help. Iroh was so tired of pretending but he knew he had to. If his nephew got the idea to leave again everything would be ruined. If he pretended to be old and feeble then maybe this Lee persona would stay no matter how great the urge to leave…even to refuse an invitation to Lake Laogi.

"Here Uncle, let me help you." Said Lee as he helped his Uncle over to his bedroll. He had to save up his money and get his Uncle a proper bed, and a proper house. He felt bad for his Uncle, spending the entire day on his feet at his age.

"Thank you my nephew." Said Uncle Mushi as he laid himself down to sleep. Lee laid down on the other side of his Uncle and tried to quiet his thoughts enough to sleep.

The next few days left much to be desired. Uncle Mushi had taken a day off and was gone all day. When he did come back he sealed himself in their room and Lee slept in the all-purpose room. Uncle Mushi attempted to look happy but Lee knew that it was a ruse. After some thinking he remembered that his cousin had died in the war around this time. He wished he knew his cousin's name but he had enough sense not to ask. Things were bad for Jin as well. Her mother had managed to find another job but it was hard difficult work. She took her frustrations out on Jin. Jin was more and more unhappy. She only came into the shop because he kept giving her coupons for free cups of tea.

"Lee…I don't know." said Jin as she took her tea. Lee sat down next to her. It had become sort of a schedule of theirs. She came in a but before the lunch rush and he took his break with her.

"I don't know either. I'm not sure what Uncle was thinking but people seem to like it." Joked Lee. He knew fully well what was upsetting her. he admitted Jin did sort of have her head in the clouds and she was a bit forward but that didn't justify the unkind things her mother said about her. he felt bad, it ws his fault her mother was mean to her. Well, partly his fault. He couldn't control what he was but he shouldn't have walked Jin to her building. No wait, he should have because this was the lower ring. A safer area of the lower ring, sure, but still the lower ring.

"No I mean about everything." Said Jin. Lee took her hand. Hers were calloused form sewing all day each day. He wanted to take care of her. He did what Uncle said and got to know her better. Now he knew he cared for her. He maybe even loved her. His Uncle would tell him that he was going too fast but maybe Uncle was going too slow.

"What do you mean?" asked Lee. He hoped she wasn't talking about him. Them. Jin looked sad. Ah, so it was about her mother. Again. Lee suddenly got a crazy idea.

"I mean that I just don't know. I can't do anything right. I'm just too, too-" said Jin. Lee put a finger to her lips grabbed her hands. He led her out of the shop and into an alley way.

"How would you like to stay with me?" asked Lee. Jin looked at him like he had just declared himself to be the Avatar. Lee let his words reverberate in his mind and the realized how impulsive he sounded. He looked towards the window. He also shouldn't have said that in the alley behind the tea shop.

"What?" asked Jin. No, that was too fast. An unmarried couple living together? That would just confirm to her mother that she was a floozy. She was tired of arguing with her about Lee. She knew Lee was mixed and she didn't care. She didn't blame Lee for the war. So what if he was part Fire Nation, he didn't start the war. The war started a century before they were born.

"I just meant that since you were fighting with your mother so much that maybe you could…" said Lee. Alright, now the implications of what he said were dawning on him. Wow, he sounded so bad right then.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" asked Jin. Wow, she knew she loved Lee but she wasn't sure if Lee felt the same way. She knew Lee wouldn't ask her this just to be with her in the physical sense. He was just too…Lee for that. She had thought about this so many times. She hadn't even presented him with the traditional bent crystal that would show him he was interested in him. Not that she was an earth bender but she could buy one. She had been saving up for one after all.

"Uh…um…" stuttered Lee. Classic Lee. He was so nervous sometimes. Jin put a finger to his lips. She was looking at this from another angle. If she was married to Lee they could be together and raise a family and start a tea shop and maybe even a home in the middle ring. And she could get far away from her mother and her seamstress job.

"Of course I will!" said Jin. She jumped up and threw her arms around him. how had he gotten into this. Well, it wasn't so bad. How was he going to tell Uncle Mushi this? What would Uncle Mushi say? Where would Uncle Mushi hide his body?

"Well, um, that's good. We have a lot in common. We're…uh…both refugees. We both like tea. We're both mixed…uh…" stuttered Lee. Married? This morning he had mastered the jasmine lechee blend and now he was getting married.

"Wait, you think I'm mixed?" said Jin breaking away from him. Her father had died when she was young and she hadn't known him but she was sure he wasn't from the fire nation. She remembered that he was tall with grey eyes and brown hair like hers. Mother's hair was a darker brown, almost black.

"I-I mean not that it's a bad thing. I just thought that well…you have brown hair and a round face. Not like earth kingdom but maybe. I just had this crazy idea that you could maybe be part…air nomad?" said Lee running a hand though his hair. Jin took a step closer to him. He didn't smell like cactus juice but the tea scent could be over powering it.

"If I was part air wouldn't I be an air bender?" asked Jin. Lee turned red. He didn't like being laughed at and this was bringing back memories of a cruel sort of laughter. That was crazier than his theory, Jin could never be cruel. Must have been back at his old colony.

"Well, you never know if you're a bender. I didn't know that I was-" started Lee before he quickly shut his mouth. No, now she'd leave him. he wasn't sure about this marriage thing but he didn't want her to leave him.

"No way! You-re an earth bender?" asked Jin. What other secrets could he be keeping from her? Lee looked very uncomfortable for a moment. It hit her like a two ton boulder. Oh course. Oh my…

"Not earth." Said Lee softly. He looked down fully expecting her to run away screaming at the top of her lungs. She was silent for a moment before her hand reached the side of his face, touching his scar. He looked into her eyes. A mired of emotions passed over her face.

"It's alright." Said Jin softly. He wasn't the fire nation and he couldn't help what he was. If he was evil like the soldiers of the Fire Nation then why was he here and not burning something to the ground? Why would he live here in the lower ring being subjugated by the earth kingdom?

"Really?" asked Lee softly. Jin nodded. All his doubts were over. He didn't know nor care about what his Uncle would say. It was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Besides, he was sixteen, not six, and this was proof that Jin was the girl for him. She accepted him as he was. Somehow that was something he felt he always wanted.

"Yes. Um Lee, how did you know? That you could bend?" asked Jin. She had always wondered how benders knew they could bend. Did they just wake up one day knowing or was it something you had to practice at? If someone in the lower ring could bend they got themselves a good job and moved to the middle ring or joined the army. She hadn't met any female benders aside from the upper class ones that she saw slumming it. They used their earth bending for sculpting and painting since they had no stance on their bound feet.

"My Uncle threw fire at me and I caught it." He said sheepishly. Her jaw dropped. Uncle Mushi? That sweet old man? Well, he certainly couldn't be evil. He was sweet and wise and had an unhealthy obsession with tea but he wasn't evil. That was why they were in the lower ring. They were persecuted by the fire nation for not being evil or joining their army or something and now they had to live as refugees in abject poverty. That must be how Lee got his scar! She understood everything now!

"So if you threw a rock at me?" asked Jin. Maybe if she was an earth bender she could get a good job and then Lee and his uncle could have a middle ring tea shop. That and it would really cool to be an earth bender.

"Well it'd have to be a big rock. The only thing I could think about was that I didn't want to get burned." Said Lee. Jin grabbed a loose brick and handed it to him. She was already thinking of the cool things she could do with earth bending. She could find a good job, be the first female earth bender in the army, make a giant whirlpool out of land! She was grateful that her feet weren't bound, even if it did mark her as poor.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Said Lee. Jin stomped her foot. Did the earth just move?! If she could do all that then maybe, just maybe, her mother would be proud of her. Lee dropped the brick. he was not going to start his marriage by pelting his wife with bricks.

"I'll stop it with earth bending." Said Jin. Lee admitted that it was a possibility but if she wasn't an earth bender he could really hurt her. He loved her too much to ever think of hurting her. If he wouldn't do this to his children then he wouldn't do this to his wife.

"And if you don't then you'll have a rock in your skull!" said Lee angrily. Jin threw her hands down in frustration. Why didn't he believe in her? Fine, she'd show him. It was their first fight and she was going to win it.

"Fine, I'll bend it myself." Said Jin. She focused hard on the brick and pushed herself forward. The brick didn't move but Lee went flying into the wall. Did she just…air bend? They just stared at each other as it began to rain leaflets.

"That was…amazing." Said Lee. He was in pain but somehow he knew he had worse. Wow, an air bender. His wife was an air bender! He didn't care about the papers from the sky; he dragged her into the shop. He had to tell Uncle Mushi! This was a good thing. Right?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Many thanks for all of your reviews. Your input is well appreciated. Any and all suggestions will be taken into account. Thank you for reading!

"Uncle Mushi! I have something to tell you!" said Lee dragging a happy Jin into the shop. Everyone's eyes turned towards him and he suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"It will have to wait until the end of your shift." Said Uncle Mushi handing him the serving tray. Jin was feeling self-conscious too. Some of these people knew her mother. Also, maybe it wasn't the best thing to announce her air bending ability. Considering what the fire nation army did to them it might not have been the best idea to paint a target on her back.

"But it's very important." Said Lee respectfully. Now people were quietly speculating to themselves what it could be. Most of them were betting on Jin being in a family way. Teenagers!

"I've seen the flyers." Said Uncle Mushi leading him to the back of the shop. Oh, that papers from the sky.

"Wow, the Avatar's in the city and he lost his flying bison monster." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi was giving him an odd look. He turned to look at Jin and shrugged his shoulders. She motioned that she had to go. Her break was coming dangerously close to being over. She'd tell her mother when she got home. now mother would have to be proud of her. Jin, the last female air bender!

"I must implore you not to go looking for the bison. We have a new life here, a good life." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee was confused. He felt like something about this was important. Very important. Ah yes, it said there was a reward. They could use the money.

"Uncle, we don't need the money that badly. Actually there's something I want to talk to you about." Said Lee as his uncle put things on a low simmer. Oh no, Uncle Mushi was taking a break. He didn't usually take them because he loved the tea and the shop so much but when he did they were long. Lee looked for him once and found him playing Pi-Sho with another old person. Uncle made friends wherever they went.

"We'll discuss it when I return from my well-earned break. I trust you not to ruin the tea but just in case I've written very detailed instructions which I want burned when I get back." said Uncle Mushi leaving. Oh no! he had to tell his uncle before he left. What if he didn't get a chance to tell him all day and they came home to find Jin, her mother, and all their belongings in front of their apartment!

"But Uncle-" started Lee. Iroh wanted to stay but he had to get to his contacts about this. Who in their right mind would separate the Avatar from his bison? It wasn't just a beast of burden it was his spirit animal. If they were trying to pull a general Fong and send him into the Avatar state…the thought was too terrible to bear. He heated leaving his nephew but this had to be taken care of.

"Don't go after the bison." Said Uncle as he left. Lee was confused. Sure it looked like a lot of gold but where would he even begin looking for a giant bison. He was getting a strange feeling like he was forgetting something important. He served tea and dwelled on this feeling. He recalled the image of a boy with…arrows…on his head? The Avatar! Had he met the Avatar? Something was telling him yes. He pondered this until the post lunch lull when his Uncle came back. Uncle Mushi didn't look happy. Had eh lost at Pi-Sho? It was getting late when Jin began tapping at the back window.

"What's going on?" asked Lee as he took in Jin's appearance. Her hair as messed up, she had a red print on her face, and she looked like she had been crying. Oh no, had she been attacked. This was a safer part of the lower ring but it was still the lower ring.

"My mother threw me out." Said Jin sadly. Lee climbed through the window and held her. oh no, this was his fault. He was such a failure.

"I'm sorry." Said Lee. It was all he could say. He had ruined her life like he had ruined his. Somehow…! Ugh! He wanted to remember! Alright…he had to make this better. He could…hide her in the apartment!...the tiny two room apartment.

"It's not your fault. Some people made up some terrible rumors to my mother and she called me so many names and now I can't go back home." said Jin. She had failed her mother. Her mother had never been the same since her brother died in the war and her father left. Jin should have tried harder. How was her mother going to survive without her income contributing to the family?

"I'll make it better. Somehow." Said Lee. Jin cried softly into his apron. Lee knew that Uncle Mushi would be angry that he was shirking his duties but Jin was more important. She was his almost wife.

"I'm so scared. What's she going to do without me? I failed her. She threw me out until I could make something of myself." Sobbed Jin. She was a failure. Fifteen years old and still working in the same job with the same wages she had at twelve. She still looked and acted like a child.

"Did you try telling her you were an air bender? That's an accomplishment being the only air bender in the world besides the Avatar." Said Lee. Well, it was amazing anyway. His father had hated him for being a failure too so he knew where Jin was coming from. They could be failure's together.

"She didn't believe me. I even bended some air at her, well at least I thought I did I felt like when I bend air at you, and she said that it was the breeze and I was a liar." Sobbed Jin. Now Uncle Mushi was sticking his head out the window.

"Why don't you offer Miss Jin a cup of tea before we close early?" said Uncle Mushi. Many scenarios about why she was crying went through his head. None of them good. In a way he was happy that his nephew was involved with a girl but on the other hand this wasn't really his nephew. And he still had to find a way to inform the Avatar without anyone knowing it was him about the whereabouts of the sky bison.

"Thank you Mushi. You are most kind." Said Jin. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and picked up the bag holding everything she could take with her. Lee helped her through the front door; she was in no condition to be climbing through windows. She sat at a table in the back and Lee served her some of her favorite tea.

"Uncle Musi…can Jin stay with us?" whispered Lee quietly. He held out an arm to steady his Uncle as he began to sway dangerously.

"And why would Miss Jin need to be living with us?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee rubbed the back of his head. Uncle Mushi gave him a stern look.

"Because her mother threw her out because we're getting married. Don't worry she's not pregnant or anything!" said Lee a bit too loud. Uncle Mushi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She can stay for now. You can take her home and get settled. I'll be there after closing. Later on we're going to have a serious discussion about thinking things through." Said Uncle Mushi sounding very old. Lee nodded gratefully before leaving as quickly as politeness permitted. He didn't want to stay and get incinerated…or lectured.

"What's going on?" asked Jin softly. Lee smiled and helped her up. This was going great, sort of. H didn't know how long the time being was but it was better than Jin sleeping on the streets.

"Uncle Mushi says you can stay." Said Lee purposely omitting the time stipulation. Maybe when Uncle Mushi saw that they were serious about getting married he'd let her stay permanently. Married. It was sounding better and better to him. and they'd have a house in the middle ring where their children could play and Uncle Mushi could sleep in a proper bed and they'd live above a tea shop. Yes, everything would be perfect.

"Thank you." Said Jin as they set off towards the apartment building. Lee helped Jin with her large bag and noted that there was room for a bedroll and not much else. Where would she sleep? Their apartment only have one bedroom. She could stay in the all-purpose room until he saved up and found them a better apartment.

"This is bigger than my old apartment." Said Jin. There were two rooms and a communal bathroom down the hall. Lee helped her set up a bedroll in the corner. Soon her bed and clothes were unpacked and they stood there in silence. This was…something. They were alone. In private. Together. Alone. They stood silently in awkwardness. They had never been alone together like this. They shifted awkwardly.

"Can I see you fire bend?" asked Jin suddenly. It was the first thing to pop into her mind. She had been curious about it since he confessed his abilities to her.

"S-Sure." Said Lee. He made sure to close and secure all the screens for the windows. Other people could see in if they tried hard enough. He didn't need to be reported to the guards for fire bending. He was living peacefully within the city. Jin stood at the far side of the corner and waited for something to happen. The darkness that cloaked them was broken when Lee snapped his fingers over a candle.

"Wow." Said Jin. It had been a simple display but she had never seen fire bending up close before. Usually she was running away from the fireballs. That was scary or destructive at all. Lee looked sheepish.

"Can I see you air bend again?" asked Lee. His own bending made him feel a bit uncomfortable. He didn't know how he knew how to do that but he just did. It wasn't just instinct, it was memory.

"Well here goes." Said Jin. She took a deep breath and felt the energy within her move. She moved her arm back taking some air with her and then pushed it forward. It was a much bigger gust than she had planned to make. She put out the fire and sent Lee into the wall.

"Wow." Said Lee as he felt his spine pop back into place. Ok, that was an exaggeration but it was jarring. Someone was banging on the wall but he didn't care. That was amazing. And familiar. He didn't dwell on that now. Jin was an air bender. He wondered when, if ever, he was going to get used to that.

"I'm sorry!" said Jin as she rushed over in the darkness to see if she had hurt him badly. She tripped over something and went flying into him. She put her arms in front of herself to break her fall but instead she caught herself with a gust of air. Now that she knew she was a bender was she going to keep accidently bending like this? She knew untrained earth benders could topple houses when angry.

"I think you need more practice." Said Lee sitting up. Jin knew she'd find a way to screw up being an air bender too. She needed to practice more. The more she practiced the more she'd get it. She wished she could find a teacher but the only other trained air bender around was the Avatar. Who was in the city.

"Lee, I just had a crazy idea." Said Jin. She crawled over to Lee and curled up next to him. This was nice, just being alone. Together. And it was alright because they were going to get married. Lots of things were alright now that they were going to get married. She was aware of how lean he felt. How close he was.

"Y-Yes?" asked Lee. He too was aware of Jin. He was breathing deeply in case he accidently bent too. something in him told him to control his breath to control his bending. He had put his Uncle through enough; he didn't want to add burning down their apartment to the list.

"What if the Avatar taught me?" asked Jin. Lee found the candle and re lit it. Jin was right, under normal circumstances that would have been crazy but he was living here in the city. an untrained bender was a dangerous one. Hmm…there was an address on that flyer. They would just have to find a way to the upper ring.

"We need to find a way to the upper ring." Said Lee. Jin was happy, he didn't think she was crazy. She was so happy she just kissed him. deeply. He kissed her back. at some point they had made their way to her bedroll. At some point hands had found their way under each other's clothes. And at some point they broke apart when they heard Uncle Mushi coming home.

"What in the world happened here?" asked Uncle Mushi as he surveyed the damage. Jin and Lee looked like guilty sheep. Very guilty sheep.

"I'm sorry it was my fault." Said Jin respectfully. Lee looked around, at least nothing was broken. That was good, right?

"That must have been some argument." Said Uncle Mushi as he began to pick up his over turned but thankfully undamaged tea pot. For a moment he thought the Dai Li had taken them and ransacked his apartment.

"Uncle…Jin's an airbender." said Lee. And the teapot shattered.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Once again I thank you all for your reviews; you guys make it worth it. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

"Uncle!" yelled Lee running over to Uncle Mushi. He was grasping the wall. An Air bender? Jin…an air bender. He was going senile. This was the only explanation.

"Lee…what exactly makes you think she's an air bender?" said Uncle trying to steady himself. There must have been other air benders, they were nomads after all. If they had survived it was in remote locations with the good sense to stay away until the war was over.

"Because she can air bend." Said Lee. He motioned to Jin to show Uncle. Lee knew that this must have been shocking but he had expected Uncle to take this better. He was the one who said that everyone had all the nations in their blood after all.

"Look." said Jin. She gave her wrist a flick and a strong wind made an even bigger mess of the room. Unlce Mushi stared and stared at her. That was definitely air bending, there was no doubt in his mind. This made things both easier and a thousand times more difficult. Lee and Jin exchanged panicked looks. Uncle Mushi didn't look alright.

"I need rest. If there is anything at all you wish to tell me do it now." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee felt bad he had dropped so much on his Uncle at once. Jin felt very uncomfortable and made her way back to her bedroll.

"No Uncle Mushi." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi gave him a very long look. Iroh needed to think. Jin would have to stay with them. The Fire Nation would never accept an Earth Kingdom refugee as the Fire Lady but perhaps the last female air bender would be easier…it could be framed as an alliance between the Air Nomad avatar and the Fire Nation. She would need a teacher and they needed to be on the Avatar's side. Yes, this could work. The Avatar was also traveling with a water bender who was trained in the North Pole so she must have had some sort of healer training. If he played his tiles right everything would fall into place.

"Are you sure? Any more air benders I should know about? Secret children? New un discovered forms of bending I should know about?" asked Uncle Mushi. Lee and Jin reddened when he mentioned children but nodded their heads no.

"No Uncle Mushi." Said Lee. Jin hoped that everything was going to be alright. She didn't want to be thrown out of their house too. She was running out of places to live. Lee hoped that Uncle Mushi was going to be alright. People his age didn't need this kind of aggravation.

"Good. Please clean up and we will discuss things tomorrow. Goodnight." Said Uncle Mushi as he went into the bedroom. Lee and Jin watched the door for a moment before they set about cleaning up the room.

"That went…well?" asked Jin as she picked up the broken pieces of the tea pot. Uncle Mushi didn't seem angry…just bewildered. Well she'd be too if she had discovered that the person her nephew was marrying was the second to last known air bender.

"He's not mad, just shocked. Don't worry, he likes you and he's always talking about how we have new lives here and we should make the best of it. Everything's going to be alright." Said Lee almost trying to convince himself as well. He knew that tomorrow's lecture would be a long one and would probably mostly consist of his inability to think things through. He was thinking this through they'd get married, find the Avatar to teach Jin air bending and then…and then she'd know air bending.

"You're sure he won't throw me out?" asked Jin as she made sure she swept up all the sharp pieces of ceramic. She didn't want to live in the women's charity house; bad things happened there. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be married to Lee either. In retrospect things were going a bit fast. He wasn't a bad guy, he was sweet and cared about her and he even trusted her with his secret so this was a good idea. Yes, marrying Lee was a good idea.

"He'd never do something like that. You're going to be family soon. Nothing bad is going to happen, we're living peacefully with in the city." said Lee. Jin gave him an odd look. He seemed vacant when he said that. She lived most of her life in the city and she had seen people act…oddly…after being arrested by the Dai Li. They were like the super guards or something. All she knew was that her mother had warned her away from them and mentioning the war as soon as they got settled.

"Hey Lee, have you ever been arrested?" asked Jin. _"What have I done?! What is my crime?!" _No, that was just a dream.

"No, not that I know of. This guy I knew, Jet, got arrested after he started a fight with me in the tea shop. Screaming about the war. There is no war in Ba Sing Se." Said Lee. He didn't want to mention his dream, he'd just add more worry to an already worrying situation. Uncle Mushi wouldn't throw her out on the street but there was no guarantee he'd be happy about this.

"What happened to him?" asked Jin. Lee shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know and he didn't particularly care. He hoped that Jet got the message and stayed away from him and his family.

"Not sure. He got arrested. I'm guessing he found someone new to bother." Said Lee. He surveyed their work, this definitely looked better but not great. He made a mental note not to practice any more air bending indoors.

"I hope he's alright. You hear…rumors…about what happens to some people after they've been arrested. Especially if they were talking about the war." Said Jin. _There is no war in Ba Sing Se._

"Rumors?" asked Lee. He had no love for the so called Freedom Fighter known as Jet but he didn't want him dead or maimed or anything. Maybe a little hurt since he did threaten his and Uncle Mushi's safety and livelihood. Definitely not maimed or dead though.

"They come back…not right…in the head." Said Jin. Old man Sweepy came to mind. Nobody knew his name; only that he swept. He swept and swept. That's all he ever did. She had a horrifying vision of Lee sweeping. Sweeping and sweeping for no reason. His entire life sweeping. She ran over and hugged him with all her life.

"Please don't ever sweep!" said Jin clinging to him. Lee was at a loss. Sweeping…?

"Um…alright." Said Lee awkwardly. He wasn't sure what was so bad about sweeping. Maybe it was a girl thing. Jin knew she sounded crazy but she didn't want him to end up like Sweepy. People said that he was always crazy and the city gave him that job to be productive but her mother told her that sweepy had been an Earth Kingdom army deserter and the Dai Li had found him. Lee didn't seem to be…wrong. He knew his name and had an actual, and very endearing, personality.

"I mean that there's this guy, Sweepy, and he wasn't always not right. But one day the Dai Li took him and now all he does is sweep. He doesn't even have a name. he just sweeps." Said Jin. Lee held her tight and led her to her bedroll.

"Don't worry. If I was crazy I'd know. I live peacefully within the city; they have no reason to arrest me. So I'm a fire bender, I'm not hurting anyone or starting crazy war rumors. We'll be alright." Said Lee holding her close and rubbing her back. she curled into him.

"I'm sorry I went crazy, I just worry about you." Said Jin. Lee put a finger to her lips. He felt…touched…that Jin thought of him. He got the feeling that not many people had cared for him. in fact when he thought of some one who cared for him he pictured his Uncle. Some vague images of a woman but mainly his Uncle. This fueled his theory that whatever he didn't remember might not have been that great.

"We're supposed to worry about the people we love." Said Lee before he kissed her. He kissed her deeply and she kissed him back. Eventually the sound of his Uncle turning over on his sleep reminded them of where they were. They broke apart and went to sleep in their separate beds in their separate rooms.

The next morning Iroh rose before the sun. He had barely slept. On the bright side this would make things a lot simpler in the long run. It was the short run he'd have to worry about. He'd have to get to the upper ring sooner than was expected. Form there he'd ask the Avatar to teach Jin air bending. The Avatar's group had animosity for Zuko but hopefully they'd be sympathetic to Lee. Lee would get to know them and befriend then. Only then would he have the water bending girl heal him to the bets of her ability. The Avatar would learn fire bending, defeat his brother, and Zuko would be fire Lord. In the event that he could not be healed Iroh himself would have to assume the throne. Anyone but Azula. He had many regrets in his life and not helping those children was one of them. First thing was first. He'd have to meet with his contacts and set things into motion. Thank Agni that the tea shop was closed today. He never thought he'd say those words. Iroh scrawled out a note and then left.

Jin woke up and began to make breakfast. If she was going to be Lee's wife she had to get used to this. She hoped the food as alright. All she knew how to make was jook. Jook and tea. They could live on that, right? She saw the note Uncle Mushi left. He fully supported them and was making wedding arrangements with his friends in the city. This was great…right? It was amazing that their days off over lapped but she thanked the spirits for it. Maybe now they could get to the upper ring and find the Avatar. Then she could learn air bending and maybe even find other air benders and teach them. And then everyone would see she wasn't a failure.

"Good morning." Said Lee as he entered the kitchen. He looked around for Uncle Mushi and saw the note. He read it and reread it. This was perfect. He knew everything would work out. It didn't usually but he was due.

"I know, it's great right?" said Jin as she spooned him some jook. Lee smelled it and took a small bright. Oh dear spirits!

"You don't like it?" asked Jin concerned. Lee didn't look well. She didn't mess it up that badly. How could anyone, even her, mess up jook?

"It needs…just a few spices." Said Lee. It was bland. It was the definition of the word bland. It could really use some sweet fire chili. That was the Fire Nation in him talking. If he was going to live peacefully within the city and fit in he was going to have to act more earth kingdom. That included getting used to bland jook. Besides, if Jin was going to be his wife he had better get used to her cooking.

"Alright. So, I was thinking that we could try and find the Avatar today." Said Jin. She didn't know how they were going to get into the upper ring. They could travel to the middle ring but they didn't have proper clearance for the upper ring. They could always sneak in and find the Avatar's house. There was an address on the lost bison monster flyer. Or they could always just wait for the Avatar to come back and drop more flyers. She could do some air bending to get his attention and then he'd make friends with them and teach her air bending.

"How are we going to get to the upper ring?" asked Lee. They could always sneak in but he didn't want to end up wrong like that Sweepy guy Jin was talking about. It would take a while to get the proper clearance and even then the Avatar could have found his bison and then left the city.

"I was thinking that if we couldn't get to the upper ring we could see if we could get his attention next time he came back looking for his bison." Said Jin. They could wait or maybe even sneak into the upper ring in the dead of night. They could find his house and then…well they certainly couldn't hold the Avatar hostage but they'd think of something.

"But what if he finds his bison before that? It looked big so there are only so many places it could be." Said Lee. Jin looked thoughtful for a moment. Hmm…that could be a real problem. She could always teach herself air bending. She looked around at the remnants of the damage she had done the previous night. Maybe not.

"We could always try and find the bison ourselves. Like you said, there are only so many places an animal that big can possibly be." Said Jin. Lee remembered Uncle Mushi telling him multiple times not to look for the bison.

"Uncle Mushi said not to look for the bison." Said Lee. Jin pinched the bridge of her nose. The Avatar was so close yet so far. Success was so close she could taste it. It tasted like…jook. Or maybe that was just breakfast.

"Well then let's look for him around here and then we'll try and figure out how to get to the upper ring." Said Jin as she finished her breakfast. Lee nodded in agreement and he too finished his food. A knock at the door interrupted them. Lee went over to answer it. Maybe Uncle Mushi had lost his key.

"Hey uh… Lee. I know we don't exactly know well each other but we need your help. This is going to sound weird but have you seen Jet? He hasn't come home since he sort of…attacked you." Said Smellerbee. Longshot nodded behind her. Lee remembered them from the boat. These were Jet's friends.

"Lee, who is it?" asked Jin. She heard either a girl's or a young boy's voice. It was a little hard to tell which. Jin came to the door way and took a look at the odd people there. She saw a…person wearing armor and face paint and a solemn looking boy.

"This is Miss Smellerbee and her friend Longshot. They're looking for Jet" Said Lee with an emphasis on the Miss part. He didn't want a repeat of the fiasco on the ferry. To be fair she wasn't exactly radiating feminine beauty. Not like Jin.

"Hi, I'm Jin." Said Jin shaking hands with both of them. They didn't seem alright, not at all. Wasn't Jet the guy who attacked Lee was starting rumors about the war? Uh-oh. This wasn't good.

"I haven't seen Jet since he was arrested." Said Lee. Longshot and Smellerbee looked dejected. This was their last lead. It wasn't like Jet to simply disappear. Something must have happened. It didn't look like Lee was lying. If he had done something to Jet he would have been arrested too. Nothing got past these gaurds.

"I hope he's…alright." Said Jin thinking of Seepy. Smellerbee gave her a look. This girl knew something. She lunged for the girl but Lee held her back. Wow, he had good reflexes. Lee didn't want to hurt her but she was acting as crazy as Jet. Starting fights in Ba Sing Se. She should have been trying to live peacefully within the city.

"What do you know?!" yelled Smellerbee as Lee held her back. She knew something and she had better start talking!

"I don't know anything about Jet but if he was arrested he may not be Jet anymore!" said Jin. Everyone looked at her. Lee got the feeling that she knew more than she let on.

"Jin, I think you should tell them what you told me about the Dai Li." Said Lee. Longshot looked at him. He knew the Dai Li, he knew they were dangerous. But people had told him that Jet was arrested by the city guards.

"Sometimes people who are arrested by the Dai Li, people who talk about the war, don't come back themselves. They end up like old man Sweepy. He doesn't have a name or anything. He just sweeps in the warehouse district." Said Jin. Lee took her hand and pulled her out the door with him. He felt bad, Jet was right about him and Uncle Mushi being fire benders so in a way this was his fault.

"Then we'll go there first." Said Lee with a look of determination that Jin had never seen before. Honestly it was kind of attractive. They went to the warehouse district in determined silence and then began to look for Jet. They heard screaming and decided to investigate.

"Jet!" yelled Smellerbee as she saw Jet frozen to a wall. Oh no, it was them again. Hadn't they done enough? Nobody had been hurt when the dam blew up so no harm done. Besides, Jet promised that he was turning over a new leaf and would be less…extreme…even if he had been talking Lee and his Uncle. And taking detailed notes. At least that's how they learned Lee's address…favorite foods, shoe size, and bathing habits.

"I thought you said you didn't have old gang back." said the water tribe girl haughtily. Wow, Lee had never seen people with dark skin and blue eyes before. She looked…pretty. No! He was an almost married man! Hey, that kid…was the Avatar! He looked up and thanked the sun. eveyrhting was coming up Lee and Jin! That is until he was frozen to the wall.

"Zuko!" they all yelled and he soon he found himself frozen to the wall. It was a cold like he had never known. He knew that people could lose limbs from the cold. All he knew was that he had to get warm. He spread the rapidly thinning warmth within himself and the ice began to melt.

"What's wrong with you, you water barbarian?!" yelled Jin as she sent a powerful blast of air at her. she went flying high into the air and the bald monk got onto his glider to catch her. She felt herself sinking into the ground and sent an air blast at the big footed noble girl. Black hair and those features, what was she doing in the lower ring dressed like that? The girl shrieked and went flying into the wall. Lee unfroze himself and was brawling with the water tribe boy. What was their problem? He didn't know water tribe culture but he was sure he hadn't done anything to offend them; he hadn't done anything at all!

"You're an air bender!" yelled the Avatar as he ran faster than the wind towards Jin. This was the happiest moment of his life so far. He wasn't alone anymore! Oh, and Zuko was here but he wouldn't let Zuko ruin this for him.

"Get off me!" yelled Jin as she sent an air blast his way. Maybe she didn't need a teacher, she was doing alright on her own. He deflected that with a flick of his hand. Or maybe she did need a teacher.

"What in koh's lair is going on!?" yelled Jet. Everyone turned towards him and started yelling at once.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I can't believe I forgot the character tags! Thanks for reminding me. Hope you all enjoy this and as always suggestion are welcome. So is criticism. I got the Earth Kingdom foot binding things from a fic called "Life Bound." It's about what Toph's life would be like if her patents had followed Earth Kingdom nobility custom and bound her feet.

"This is the guy we were telling you about, Zuko, he chased us all over the world!" yelled the water tribe boy. Zuko…it seemed familiar to him. _My name is Lee. I work in the tea shop with Uncle Mushi. I live peacefully within the city. There is no war in Ba Sing Se._

"I've been living peacefully within the city!" yelled Lee. He swept towards the boy and knocked the odd looking weapon out of his hands. Jin readied herself for another attack but still had Aang hanging onto her. Poor little boy...all alone in the world except for these crazy people. Barbarians starting brawls in the streets over nothing.

"Everybody stop!" yelled Aang. He didn't know nor care why Zuko was here. Actually, he did, but now he found another air bender! She wasn't trained but she was bending! Air! She was a girl so they could rebuild the air nomad race! He'd recreate the festival and she looked older so she could tell him what came next.

"C'mon Jin, we'll figure it out ourselves." Said Lee pulling Jin to him. he didn't want anyone to get hurt here. She could always teach herself, she had throwing air down all by herself after all. Maybe Uncle could show her some fire bending forms and she could adapt them to air. Bending was bending, right?

"You can't go with him!" said the Water Tribe girl pulling more water from her water skin. Jin inhaled and exhaled in her direction. It only knocked her down instead of sending her flying through the street. Huh. There, she had taught herself something else.

"Stop attacking us!" yelled Aang. He could see Longshot and Smellerbee trying to lead Jet away. No! he needed Jet to find Appa! But he needed that girl too.

"You attacked us! Right Smellerbee?" said Lee. Smellerbee and Longshot gave him a look that clearly conveyed the fact that they didn't want to get involved. Lee couldn't blame them, he had wanted to find the Avatar and he did but he should have been more specific in his wants. A friendly Avatar would have been much better.

"So what? You're in Jet's gang now? It figures, monsters have to stay together." Said the water tribe girl. Lee felt genuinely hurt by the strange girl's words. Jin on the other hand was genuinely enraged. How dare she talk about her almost husband that way. Lee was in no way a monster.

"You want go? Let's go!" yelled Jin. Hmm…is she could push air maybe she could pull it too. no enough to kill her, just to make her shut up. Jin pulled the air away from them which only served to cause a wind current that knocked them all on top of each other.

"You're air bending!" yelled the Water tribe girl out from the pile up. The little noble girl made death threats against whoever was touching her and Lee felt something sharp stabbing him in the side. Just great.

"Katara, she's been air bending." Said the little bald monk. He was the only one who seemed happy. Lee got himself free and pulled Jin free along with him. jet got free as well. Jet didn't attack, he just gave her a long look.

"You can air bend?" asked Jet incredulously. A voice in his head was telling him that there was no war in Ba Sing Se. he had the urge to throttle Lee and wondered where that came from. Lee didn't do much of anything besides brew tea all day. He went to bed shortly after dinner wearing drawstring pants and no shirt and then got up at dawn. How did he know that…?

"Somewhat." Said Jin. Lee was debating helping them so they could get on the Avatar's good side or running as far away from that crazy water bender as he could. He could feel himself sinking into the ground so he grabbed Jin and jumped out of the way.

"Hold still!" said Toph as she stuck them to the wall. This was enough. She just wanted to find Appa, warn the Earth King, and leave. She didn't care where she went as long as it was far from here.

"What are you doing?" asked Aang. He could understand attacking Zuko but Jet was helping them and he didn't want to scare the air bender girl off.

"I can tell if people are lying by sense their breathing and heart rate." Said Toph as she put her hand to the wall. Lee stopped struggling and looked over at the little earth bending girl. She was blind. Jin noticed too. she felt terrible for attacking a little blind girl earth bender or not.

"And you waited until now to tell us this why?" asked the water tribe boy. The little girl shrugged.

"It never came up." Said the girl. He and Jin exchanged a look. If she could sense that he wasn't lying about being this Zuko person then maybe everyone would calm down. He'd of thought that Jet would know not to brawl in the streets, that's what got him arrested in the first place.

"Fine. Toph, if they try anything crush them." said the Water tribe girl. If she tried anything Lee was have to reveal that he was a fire bender. Then he'd run before they could kill him. and then move because apparently Jet knew where he lived.

"Whatever sugarqueen." Said Toph. The Water Tribe to took his strange curved weapon out of Lee's hands. He had a cut where the boy grabbed it, this wasn't his day.

"Try anything and I blow you down the street." Said Jin making a dramatic inhale. The air around her moved threateningly. There, she was figuring out how to turn it on and off. A teacher would still be nice though.

"How long have you known you were an air bender? Are there other air benders? Any other flying bison? How do you know Zuko? Are you working for the fire nation? Are you a vegetarian?" said the Avatar rushing over to them. He was very, very close to Jin. Lee would have been jealous if the Avatar hadn't been a little kid. Jin on the other hand wanted personal space.

"About two days, not sure, don't know, I have no clue who Zuko is, no and you shouldn't mention the war, and of course not I can't live without meat." said Jin. The Avatar looked crestfallen at that. Well, if he found one he could find others. He could fill the temples and keep his culture alive and everything would be alright.

"Want do you mean you don't know Zuko?! He's right there!" said Katara motioning towards Lee. If Lee could move his arms he'd give her one of the free cup of tea coupons he carried around with him. She needed some soothing chamomile tea. She need it badly. Or maybe all water tribe people were like this. The little girl, Toph was it, raised her arm in a gesture that clearly said 'shut up'.

"She's telling the truth." Said Toph. Everyone stared at her. Zuko was right there. Sure he was disguised as just another citizen of Ba Sing Se but there was no mistaking that scar.

"Then he lied to her! He's obviously working with Jet to try and capture Aang!" said Katara. Aang shook his head. That didn't make any sense. The part about Zuko trying to capture him did but Jet wouldn't be working with him. Jet hated the Fire Nation and would kill and entire Earth Kingdom town to hurt them.

"I'm not trying to capture anyone. I came to help you find Appa. I think I know where he is." Said Jet his legs still sunk into the ground. He pulled a flyer from his pocket.

"Sure you do. You just happen to be the only person in this city who knows where a ten ton flying bison would be." Said Katara in a disbelieving tone. Jin rolled her eyes. Why else would he have gone looking for these crazy people? Besides, that reward was a lot of gold. More than she made a year. If she and Lee had that kind of money they could at least move to a bigger.

"I'm not lying!" yelled Jet. Smellerbee and Longshot exchanged a look. They didn't want to get involved with this. They just wanted to find Jet and get out of this city. maybe go to Omashu. Sure the king was crazy but there weren't any middle of the night arrests and disappearances.

"He's not." Said Toph. Now Katara was seriously starting to doubt Toph's so called lie detector ability. Aang wanted to let them go and find Appa. Zuko wasn't such a bad guy, he had saved him from Zhao after all, and the air bender girl liked him.

"Then explain Zuko!" yelled Katara. Every single time they turned around Prince Ponytail was there waiting to capture Aang for his stupid honor. He couldn't get his honor back when he never had it in the first place! All he did was fight dirty, ambush them, and try and capture the world's last chance for hope. He was just like the rest of his nation.

"I'm Lee." Said Lee. Once they got this case of mistaken identity out of the way they could all have a nice, warm, cup of tea. Yes, tea was nice. He was a tea server named Lee. He lived peacefully in the city with his Uncle Mushi. His Uncle Mushi who was probably worried sick. He had been gone a while and Uncle Mushi could be home by now.

"He's not lying." Said Toph softly. She knew what is felt like when people lied and he wasn't. Either this really wasn't Zuko, and it sure felt like him, or he honestly thought he was Lee.

"I think your feet need their eyes checked. That's definitely the angry jerk." Said Sokka looking him up and down. Lee felt a flash of rage. Well, he was certainly angry now but most of the time he was living peacefully.

"I'm Lee, not Zuko. I work down in Pao's tea shop and I don't want to capture anybody. I was just looking for the Avatar so he could teach my almost wife Jin, she's Jin, air bending." Said Lee getting everything on the table. Uncle would probably have a proverb for this but he couldn't think of any right then.

"I'm Jin and I'd like it if you taught me air bending but not if you're all going to act crazy about it!" said Jain. Toph let them free and then dragged her friends over. They needed to talk about this. Obviously something was wrong. Not just the situation, something was wrong with Jet and Zuko. They just felt…off. There was an odd…smoothness to them. Like someone had polished away all the edges that made them, them.

"Toph what are you-" started Katara before Toph put a hand over her mouth. This was important.

"Something's wrong with them." said Toph. Everyone gave her a 'well duh' look even though they knew she couldn't see it. Jet was crazy, Zuko was crazier, and there was something wrong with that Jin girl. Almost wife…what did that even mean? Zuko must have tricked her or something. Who would want to be married to that ugly jerk? And why would a Fire Nation Prince want to be married to an Earth Kingdom peasant?

"Well yeah, they're all crazy." Said Sokka. Toph shook her head. This was serious. She knew there was something wrong with this city. Those Joo Dees, the people she could feel on the walls and roofs sometimes, and now this. Long Feng said he protected the cultural heritage from Ba Sing Se and suppressed the war.

"They're smooth. Like all the rough edges that made them…them…are gone." Said Toph. Katara looked over at Zuko. He wasn't trying to hurt or capture anyone. He seemed concerned about that girl. That air bender girl. Who could air bend. Wow. Even if she was crazy she was the last female air bender. Aang was the last male air bender. She felt a tug of jealousy.

"They were brainwashed." Said Aang softly. He didn't know how he felt about Zuko, he knew he didn't like Jet, and he knew nothing about that girl but he didn't want them to be brainwashed. He wanted everyone to keep the dirty minds they had. Or…unwashed? Normal. He wanted everyone to keep their normal minds.

"We'll need to fix Jet because he knows where Appa is but not Zuko." Said Katara. Aang looked at her. She had never sounded like that before. He got the feeling that this was about more than Zuko. Sure Zuko had chased the around the world but he at least deserved to be himself.

"That's cruel." Said Aang. Katara gave him a harsh look that he never wanted to see again. This wasn't the time for one of Aang's all life is scared enlightened people don't eat meat lectures. This was serious. Zuko was a threat but this Lee guy wasn't. according to Toph he wasn't lying so that was just one less thing to worry about.

"I agree with Katara." Said Sokka. Aang looked at him like he just said he wanted to sell his boomerang. Zuko may have been a jerk but he didn't deserve that!

"It's one less thing to worry about. now he won't chase us and things can be easier. It's safer for him not to remember anyway. People will be coming after Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, not Lee the tea server." Said Katara. Aang knew Katara had a point but Zuko had the right to be Zuko in all his obsessive, angry, jerkiness. He didn't want to think about this. He broke form the group and set Jet free. They had to find Appa. They'd deal with Zuko later.

"So, where's Appa?" Said Aang. He'd deal with one thing at a time…or never if people forgot. He needed to find Appa and then warn the Earth King and then teach Jin air bender and then repopulate the air nomad race. in that order. At some he'd help Zuko. When the war was over so he couldn't try and capture him. yes, that would work.

"At the warehouse I work at." Said Jet. Aang opened up his glider and was about to fly away with Jet before he remembered that Smellerbee and Longshot were still trapped. He set them free.

"What do you mean you work in a ware house? Jet, you've been missing for days!" said Smellerbee. Jin hoped beyond hope that Jet wasn't going to end up like Old Man Sweepy. He did mention the war. Lee was confused. He had been to the warehouse district before and didn't notice any giant furry animals.

"I haven't been missing! I've been living peacefully within the city." said Jet. Everyone stared at him. Jin felt like the ground was collapsing around her.

"What did you just say…" said Jin softly. If the Dai Li had gotten Jet then they must have gotten Lee. Oh Lee!

"Guys…this is serious." Said Toph


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Many thanks once again for the reviews. You guys make it all worthwhile.

"Yeah, we figured that out a while ago." Said Sokka. Toph shook her head, this was very, incredibly serious. She knew this city was bad news. They needed to get out while they still had their minds.

"No, I mean we need to get out. We need to find Appa and get out." Said Toph with utter seriousness. She did a cursory glance with her feet. Dai Li were coming; who else would be earth bending along the roof tops.

"We need to warn the Earth King." Said Katara. They couldn't just leave, they needed to use the eclipse to defeat the Fire Lord and stop the war.

"Good luck getting near the Earth King." Said Jin with a snort. Even in the lower rings people knew that nobody saw the Earth King. All he cared about was controlling the city and keeping order. Why else would he be having people who mentioned the war arrested.

"We have important information about the war!" said Katara with a cursory glance towards Zuko. He didn't seem to be himself and it didn't seem like an act. Why would some spoilt Prince purposefully be living as a commoner. He'd be in the upper ring with them or storming the wall with an army.

"Are you deaf or just stupid?" asked Jin through clenched teeth. Lee and this Jet jerk were brainwashed and she goes around screaming about the war. She was going to bring the wrath of the Dai Li onto them. She liked being Jin! She was going to get away from these people, track down Mushi, and find out how much of Lee was actually Lee.

"Excuse me?!" said Katara. Her hand was on her water skin and Jin too an earth bending attack position. Jin wasn't sure if this would work but she didn't know any proper air bender forms. Aang stood next to her to correct her. The only thing she was going to do like that was kick up a lot of dust and send herself flying into the air.

"Katara, maybe we shouldn't be mentioning the war. Jin, here stand like this." Said Aang showing her the proper form. She imitated him. He went through it and she followed. Sokka felt like hitting himself in the head with his boomerang. This wasn't the time for a bending lesson. Lee watched with undivided attention. It reminded him of a fire bending form he could almost remember.

"Let's find Appa now, bending lessons later!" said Sokka. Katara and Jin exchanged a glare. Then Katara glared at Lee and Lee glared at her. The water tribe boy glared at Katara and then Aaang glared at the water tribe boy. Jet looked confused and Smellerbee banged her head against the wall.

"Is something happening? Why aren't we looking for Appa? Like now. Right now." said an annoyed Toph. They needed to find Appa and get out of there before they lost their minds. She liked having her mind thank you very much.

"I've leave you all to your bison then. If you need to find us Jet and his friends know where we live. Good day." said Lee respectfully. Uncle Mushi had told him in no uncertain terms not to look for the Avatar's bison. He made himself very, very clear.

"Wait! Jin, you can't go!" said Aang. He couldn't let her leave, she was the only other air bender he knew.

"Find your bison and then we'll talk." Said Jin. They needed to get home. She needed to know exactly what was Lee and what…wasn't. Then she needed to help him remember who he was.

"No, I need to teach you air bending and then we can repopulate the air nomads!" said Aang. Everyone gave him a long look when he said that. Longshot seemed to be saying 'What's wrong with you?' why was everyone looking at him. He was a boy, she was a girl. Could it be any more obvious? They needed to recreate the Spring Festival, then she'd get really fat, and in the fall a baby would come.

"This is my almost wife, we're almost married. Do you understand?" Said Lee. No one was going to talk to or about Jin like that. Even if it was a twelve year old boy who was also the Avatar. He was the Avatar, he could have whatever girl he wanted. When he got older though.

"First of all people can only have babies with people of the same nation and second of all what does marriage have to do with having babies. We can find some more air benders too since we're only two people." Said Aang. Toph wanted to sink into the ground. Sokka and Katara wanted to go with her. Jet and Smellerbee were holding in laughter. He obviously didn't understand the implications of what he was saying.

"Who told you that?" laughed Lee. He was and Jin were living testaments to the fact that people could and did mix.

"Monk Gyatso, my teacher." Said Aang. Now Sokka was actually hitting himself in the head with his boomerang. This was painful.

"Well, he was wrong. If people can be intimate they can have babies. Babies which you will not be having with my wife." Said Lee. Aang admitted he didn't know exactly how it worked but he knew what monk Gyatso had told him. Besides, Zuko was brainwashed and crazy. What would he know?

"Let's discuss this another time." said Jin turning to leave she togged on Lee's sleeve and he followed her. He wasn't in the mood to argue the nuances of human reproduction with a child. The Avatar was calling after them.

"Jin, Wait! You can help us find Appa!" said Aang. Lee shook his head. Uncle Mushi had been very firm on the subject of the bison. Jin didn't want to help these crazy people. She wanted to learn air bending beyond push and pull air but that wasn't worth getting into trouble with the city guard or the Dai Li.

"Number one; I'm not getting involved with the Dai Li. Number two; I'm untrained and you're a master. Which one of us would be more help and which one would be a hindrance?" said Jin with her hands on her hips. Not mention the fact that she didn't want to forget who she was like Swepy or this Jet jerk. Well, he seemed to know who he was but according to his friends something was wrong with him. They had already gotten to Lee too. Maybe they got to her too and she just didn't know it.

"Just let her go, Aang." Said the crazy water tribe girl. She looked at her and Lee with apprehension. Lee was tugging on her to get her to come with him. He didn't want to bring the wrath of the city guard onto them. He had to live peacefully within the city.

"No, she could help!" said the Avatar. The little earth bender girl moved the ground under all her friends away from him and Jin.

"Breezy has a point, Twinkletoes. She's untrained and doesn't even want to help. What good could she do? We've got to get Appa and warn the Earth King then we can deal with her." said Toph. They had enough on their plates now, why was he trying to make it worse?

"Fine. When this is over we'll meet you and Zu-Lee at Pao's tea shop in the lower ring." Said Aang with a respectful bow. Jin did the same and Lee followed suit. Good, now things were coming together. Lee and Jin walked home and Aang looked on sadly. Letting her go was like letting a part of himself go. Almost like being away from Katara.

"That was crazy." Said Jin as they went home. Lee nodded in agreement. He really wanted to meet the Avatar and he did, just not in the best way. He had to be more specific with his wants in the future. He hadn't wanted to brawl in the streets.

"It's over now. He's going to teach you and we're not getting involved in their problems." Said Lee. He was glad they were going home. They had to get back to living peacefully. Always peacefully. There was no war in Ba Sing Se. Jin gave him a long look.

"Lee…have you ever been arrested?" asked Jin. Lee shook his head. He wasn't some kind of criminal or anything. Sometimes he dreamt he was being arrested and there was a spinning light of some kind and a soothing voice. Those were just dreams.

"Not that I remember. Sometimes I dream I'm being arrested and there a spinning light but that's not possible. I live peacefully within the city." said Lee. Jin's blood turned to ice in her veins. Lee…Oh Lee. There was still the possibility that it was a dream. She'd have to talk to Uncle Mushi…and then maybe get out of the city. At least out there they didn't mind bend you.

"Do you ever think that maybe it couldn't be a dream?" asked Jin innocently. Lee shook his head. Why would he be arrested? He didn't do anything wrong.

"I've never done anything to warrant being arrested. Not like Jet" Said Lee. Jin but back her retort. He was a fire bender in an earth kingdom city. He could have been an army deserter or a captured soldier. He didn't look like a soldier. He looked more like a noble than anything.

"Alright, I just worry sometimes." Said Jin. She didn't want to push it. Not here out in the streets. She was going to get to the bottom of this somehow. If her worst suspicions were confirmed then she'd take them all out of the city. She knew that the man was the head of the household, at least in the earth kingdom, but sometimes the woman had to be the body and move the head in the right direction.

"You don't have too. We have a good life here. We have jobs, Uncle Mushi supports our relationship, and the Avatar himself is going to teach you air bending. True I'm not sure if I like him and I don't like the company he keeps but he's a master air bender. Even if there are air bender clans hiding all over the world like Uncle Mushi said they obviously don't want to be found." Said Lee

"Well, alright. If you think so then it's alright." Said Jin as they reached his, no their, building. They had enough excitement for one day. She wanted to help him but didn't know where to begin. She didn't even know if what they had done to him was that bad. Uncle Mushi seemed like the kind of person who would try and have his nephew fixed if he was dramatically different. Unless he was smart enough to stay away from the Dai Li. Or mindbent himself. He did have an unusual obsession with tea that went a bit beyond pride for his craft.

"Uncle Mushi, we're home!" called Lee into the empty apartment. He must be with is Pai Sho friends. That game was slow and took forever; truly a game for the old.

"I guess we're alone." Said Jin. Lee turned an amusing shade of red. Jin then realized how that sounded and wanted to take it back. Or maybe she didn't. Or maybe she knew she should didn't want to. Or maybe-Lee's kiss broke her from her thoughts. She kissed him back. Well, this was nice. Lee didn't know what to do. She was silent with an odd look on her face for a good two minutes. She must have been waiting for…something. Well, he had a good idea of what. It wasn't that he didn't want to it was that there was so much that could go wrong. And he wasn't sure if he wanted children. And he could hear Uncle Mushi's voice in his head alternating between lecturing him about thinking things through and waxing poetic about his own exploits. Maybe there was something wrong with his head too. He told his thoughts to shut up and led Jin to her bedroll. Eventually they lost track of the time and didn't hear Uncle Mushi coming home.

"It could be worse. It could be much worse." Said Iroh to himself as he made his way home. He loved his nephew like a second son, anyone with eyes could see that, but his nephew put him through a lot. He'd stick with Zuko no matter what and there had been a lot of what f the years. Things could have been much worse…somehow. There was the right way, the wrong way, and the Zuko way which was also the needlessly complicated and difficult way. He wanted his nephew to stop hunting the Avatar and make a life for himself and he did…as Lee. He wouldn't have gotten captured by the Dai Li if he hadn't over heard some refugees talking about the Avatar working with the Kyoshi warriors and helping deliver a baby in the Serpent's pass. It was so crazy it could only be true. Zuko had snuck out looking for the Avatar and come back the next day as Lee. Iroh wanted to kill the person that did this to his nephew but luckily it could be reversed in most cases. He was only tampered with once; it wasn't kept up with like the Joo-Dee's.

"Lee!" came Jin's voice through the door. Iroh…didn't know how to feel. There was the father in him that wanted to throttle Zuko. There was the other part of the father in him that was glad that his almost son was finding happiness. There was the part of him that wanted the air nomad race to continue in some form and the other part that said that Zuko was too young to have children. Not to mention that they didn't want anything else hurting his nephew's chance of being Fire Lord. The brainwashing could be fixed, hopefully. The fact that Jin was an air bender may work in their favor. Children on the other hand may not. And knowing Zuko Jin would probably have earth bending triplets or the next Avatar or something. Iroh made some noise to make his presence known. It was in everyone's best interest that nothing came of that. They didn't hear him so for the greater good of everyone he did what he had to do. No amount of mind healing would ever make this better. Through the resulting debacle nobody noticed the commotion making its way down from the upper ring.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I apologize for any proofreading errors. As usual all reviews are welcomed, read, and appreciated. If any of you have any plot suggestions I'd like to read them. Everyone's input is welcome.

Lee was avoiding Uncle Mushi as best he could in the tea shop. It wasn't working out so well. In his defense Uncle had been sneaking around even if it was his apartment too. After a heated argument where many, many insults flew they had reached an agreement. Uncle Mushi slept in the day room and their martial activities would take place when no one was home and Uncle Mushi would make a lot of noise every time he entered the apartment. Lee was amendable to that. Jin on the other hand locked herself in the communal bathroom and refused to come out. Eventually she did and they stayed away from Uncle Mushi for the rest of the day. And the next day. And the next week. And the week after that. It had been almost a month since he had met the Avatar and he still hadn't shown up to teach Jin. Well, Jin was sort of teaching herself. Uncle had shown her a few fire bending forms and she was adapting them to her air bending.

"I heard the Avatar tried to assassinate the Earth King." Whispered a customer to another. Lee had been hearing rumors like this for weeks. This one probably wasn't true. If the Earth King has been assassinated then something, anything, would have happened. They would have publically crowned his heir or something.

"I heard he's taken control of the Earth King with spooky avatar powers." Said the customer's companion. Hmm…not regulars and dressed too nice for the lower ring. Middle Ring people probably. More and more of them had been coming in.

"Either way they won't like take it lying down." Said the customer with a nervous glance out the window. Nobody in the lower ring knew who the Dai Li answered too other than the Earth King or what their original purpose was but the fact that they were powerful and dangerous earth benders as well as spies was known. The people they captured came back wrong if at all so they did some kind of mind bending as well. If they went rouge they could do untold damage.

"I'm taking a…trip…to Gaoling with my family. We would be honored if you would join us." Said the first customer. Lee listened as best he could. People were leaving the safest most peaceful city in the world. This was getting bad. He went to the back. He had to serve tea. It was what he did. A tapping at the window drew his attention.

"Jin, what's wrong?" said Lee. Jin looked worried about something. He didn't like how the Avatar broke his promise and he certainly didn't like how he hurt Jin. There was no honor in breaking a promise and there was no life without honor.

"I'm scared Lee." Said Jin. Lee climbed through the window and held her. Uncle Mushi could handle things for a few minutes. He wasn't that old.

"I know. I'm getting worried too. People are leaving Ba Sing Se." said Lee. Jin was worried about hat but it wasn't what she was referring too. she had spoken to Mushi about Lee being arrested by the Dai Li and Mushi said that Lee was definitely different but not nearly as bad as some people had been. Uncle Mushi had been confident that Lee would get back to normal and still care about Jin.

"Lee…do you like babies?" asked Jin. Lee shrugged. They were alright he supposed. He didn't have much experience with them.

"I like them alright I guess. Why?" asked Lee. Jin looked at him and his mind slowly clicked into gear. He wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. How could he, they, him, her, them, be so stupid? If Jin had a baby then she'd either have to stay home with it and not work or pay some to watch it during the day and they'd still be out money they needed to survive.

"Lee…do you hate me?" asked Jin in a small voice. Lee held her close. He could never hate her…she was Jin. He loved Jin. He'd love their child too. Maybe it would be another air bender. Yes…this could work out.

"I could never hate you. I love you." Said Lee. He held Jin for a while until he heard some excited proclamations coming from within the shop. He helped Jin through the window before coming through himself.

"My own tea shop?! This is a dream come true!" said Iroh. He really meant that. He had always wanted his own tea shop and now he was getting it even if it was through his contacts. Something was happening in the upper ring and he needed to be there. He was going to sincerely regret leaving Pao's but sometimes in life people needed to make sacrifices.

"Don't go! I'll make you senior executive assistant manager!" said Pao throwing himself at Uncle Mushi's feet. Lee felt bad for him; he and Uncle were the only thing keeping him in business. The man couldn't tell tea from hot leaf juice.

"Young man, your life is about to change for the better." Said the well-dressed merchant. He was definitely from the upper ring. He took Jin's hand. Wow, the upper ring. He didn't have to worry about money anymore. He and Jin could have as many children as humanly possible…or maybe two or three.

"This is incredible!" said Jin. She'd go and rub it in her mother's face...or calmly share news of her good fortune. Then she'd get to the rubbing. Serves her right for calling Lee a worthless colony mutt bastard. They were going to upper ring people! She self-consciously pulled her toes in closer to her feet. She was going to live in the upper ring.

"We'll never have to worry about supporting our offspring again." Said Lee before he caught himself. Uncle Mushi looked like he aged ten years in a second. Patrons of the shop offered them congratulations. There had been a small wedding ceremony in the shop and all who wanted free tea and small cakes were welcome to attend. Jin didn't consider it a real wedding since her mother hadn't shown up. She hadn't seen her mother in weeks.

"I would like to have a word with you in the back, nephew." Said Uncle Mushi as he grabbed Lee by his sleeve. What followed was a tense conversation followed by a resolution. Lee didn't know why his uncle was so upset, they had money now. They could support his and Jin's children. Maybe Uncle Mushi was upset because he had lost his own son. Iroh wasn't happy. It was always one step forwards two steps back and one to the side with Zuko. Well, statistically one of their children would be a fire bender and that child would be the heir. His or Zuko's; should Zuko become unable to take the throne. He prayed to Agni to grant the child the ability to fire bend.

The few weeks were filled with moving and preparations. He had taught some of what he knew of brewing to at least keep things moderately successful. Decorations were purchased for the new shop and a name was debated. Uncle Mushi wanted to call it the Jasmine Dragon but Jin pointed out that the name screamed Fire nation. Jin wanted to call it Cup Full of Love because it was memorable and sounded nice. Lee didn't know who to side with so he made himself scarce during these arguments.

Jin had been down lately. Her mother had moved without telling anyone where she was going. Jin hoped that it wasn't the Dai Li; if it was her mother would have just come back different. Lee was sort of different but he did have a temper. That was good…right? It hadn't been directed at her, mostly at Uncle Muhsi. She had to admit that Uncle Mushi id get on her nerves sometimes with all of his proverbs and such. Well, it was better than living with her mother that was for sure.

Iroh didn't know how to feel. That was becoming more and more common as the weeks wore on. He was truly excited to have this shop and truly happy that his nephew had found happiness. He was also happy that his nephew had found happiness as well. If it did come to Iroh to ascend the throne he'd leave this shop to Zuko and tell everyone he had gone crazy. With Ozai as a father it was believable. He was also happy that the Avatar had left Ba Sing Se. His nephew didn't need that kind of aggravation and neither did Jin in her condition. He had to admit he liked the girl. She was decisive, driven but not too crazy Azula lengths, and she genuinely cared about Lee. He still prayed and left offerings every single day to Agni that their child would be a fire bender.

Soon the shop was opened for business. They had a staff of servers so Lee handled brewing most of the time. He felt…wrong…not serving. He was Lee the tea server. He brewed and came home and brewed and came home. He didn't do much for fun. He tended to Jin and read everything he could about child rearing. He was a man now and men didn't have fun. They worked and took care of their families and played Pi-Sho because it was boring. Jin's belly was getting big now, he liked that. There was a tiny little person growing in there. Life was good. Of course the other shoe had to drop.

"C'mon Mo-Mo, we have time for one cup of tea before we see the Earth King." Jin knew that voice. She looked up from the book she was reading, child birth was truly disturbing, and stared. She didn't stick out much as the other ladies were staring as well at the water tribe girl with the animal hanging off of her. Jin got up and went to warn Lee. He was supervising the shop that day.

"Lee…the water tribe girl is back." said Jin over heating in her long heavy robes. How did he stand it back there? Half Fire Nation, right. Lee looked alarmed. He was alarmed. Why his shop? She could reveal Jin as an air bender. The Dai Li might have been gone but he didn't want to paint a target on shi pregnant wife's back.

"Hide back here and don't stand for too long." Said Lee. He watched her as inconspicuously as someone with half his face burned could. She was being waited on and sat there with that ridiculous monkey thing hanging from her shoulders. He decided not to talk to her. She might start a brawl right there in his shop and then he'd lose everything. Yes, waiting and listening was the best option.

"Thank you." Said Katara as she was served her artic thorn-rose blend tea. She ignored the looks that these upper ring snobs were giving her. One girl in a ridiculous yellow dress even got up and left as she entered. Katara didn't care, she was doing more for the Earth Kingdom than these upper class dolls ever would. She'd have to bring everyone to thins place when they came back. Strange name, Cup Full of Love. She drank her tea and went to the palace to war the generals. She saw Suki and was about to tell her everything when she noticed the golden eyes. Fire Nation eyes. She ran.

"Well now, you're smarter than I give you credit for." Said Azula chasing her. Her scary friends followed in hot pursuit. If only she had some water. The water in her water skin wouldn't be enough to stop them.

"Where's Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors?!" said Katara. She summoned the water from her water skin. She didn't know what kind of damage she'd do like this but she had to try. If she could just get away she could warn everyone.

"What, no hello? I suppose you people aren't familiar with proper manners anyway." Said Azula as she lazily shot fire at her. Katara thought for a split second and then threw the plans into the flames. They were incinerated instantly. Azula couldn't know the invasion plan. Katara dodged the knives being hurled her way and the jabs from the pink girl. She wiped the sweat from her brow when a though occurred to her. People were full of water, she just had to find it. She pulled the sweat from the knife girl's body and froze her solid. The pink circus freak actually looked a little worried. Katara tried to do the same thing to the pink girl and was so wrapped up in what she was doing she didn't see Azula coming. She came to in the crystal catacombs under the city.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Once again thank you all for your reviews. Once again any and all suggestions will be read and taken into account. Any suggestions for Lee and Jin's baby's name are very welcome! Seriously.

"I saw everything. The Kyoshi warriors attacked a water tribe girl." Whispered an upper ring lady. Jin was in a baby shop looking for a nice cradle. She didn't know if it was a boy or a girl but she wanted something simple and neutral so she could use it for her other babies. That was the poor lower ring girl inside of her. She almost missed working, if just to have her own money, but she didn't want to go back to being a seamstress.

"The water tribe girl with the long braid and a weird white monkey thing?" said her friend with a much larger belly. Jin's curiosity was peaked. This was no coincidence. Something bad was happening.

"How many water barbarians live in the upper ring?" said her the first lady giving her friend a look. Jin was now blatantly eavesdropping. The girl was crazy but she was on the Avatar's side. If she had been captured then the Avatar must be captured as well. Or dead. She hoped he wasn't dead.

"Point taken. So you were just waiting around the palace waiting for something interesting to happen?" her friend said with a cocked eyebrow. Her other friend turned red and busied herself looking at tiny little shoes. They may have been baby shoes, they may have been lady shoes thought Jin darkly.

"I may have been trying to introduce my little sister to King Kuei." Said the lady. Jin wanted to rip her braid out and skip rope with it. The Avatar's water tribe allie gets captured, the Avatar himself may be dead or captured, and she's worried about marrying her little sister to the Earth King!

"Did you see them capture anyone else? What did they look like? Was the Avatar with her?" asked Jin. She just couldn't listen to this chatter anymore! She needed answers! The entire city could be in danger.

"Well, you can take the girl out of the lower ring but you can't take the lower ring out of the girl." Laughed the ladies. Jin was very, very angry at this. The air around them shifted. Jin tried to control her inner fire, or storm, or whatever Uncle Mushi would chose to call it. The first thing fire benders learned was to turn their bending on and off. It was the best way to keep the Fire Nation from burning down.

"Are you deaf or just stupid?" said Jin through clenched teeth. She was tired, annoyed, and she was living on tea and bread. She didn't need this. And neither did little…Zigsa. She liked Zigsa for a girl and didn't really care about boy names. Lee liked Bipin for a boy and Mordi for a girl.

"Excsue me?!" said the lady indignantly. Jin stood to her full high and put her hands on her hips.

"That was most likely the Avatar's water bender ally and teacher! She's got to be a master water bender and she got captured by the Kyoshi warriors! Non-benders who, from what I've heard, fight in fancy dresses with fans. They could be staging a coup! The Avatar could be dead and all you care about is marrying your little sister to the Earth King!" said Jin. By now everyone was looking at her.

"How dare you address me like that you big footed lower ring peasant." Said the noble woman with poisoned politeness. Jin took a few deep calming breaths. She didn't usually at strangers but this was a combination of the situation and the Lee in Zigsa. Or Mordi. Or Bipin.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Said the shop owner. Jin tried to calm her inner storm. She needed to get out of there and warn Lee and Uncle Mushi. Maybe she could persuade them to take a nice vacation.

"Of believe me I'm leaving. As for the big footed comment I'd like to see you run with bound feet." With that Jin gave an exaggerated turn on her heal and left. Then she ran. She ran as fast as she could back to the tea shop. She was through putting on upper ring airs. This was a matter of life and death. She burst through the door with inhuman speed accompanied by a gust of wind.

"Lee! It's an emergency!" said Jin. Lee pale and ran over to her. He assumed that it was something about the baby who they weren't going to call Zigsa. She led him up stairs to the home they had above the shop. She didn't care of the Dai Li heard them. They could be conspiring with the Kyoshi warriors for control of Ba Sing Se.

"Jin lay down and I'll get the healer!" said Lee as he led her to their bed. A million things were running through his mind. He didn't know much about babies but he knew two months wasn't long enough for one to be ready to come out. Jin's belly wasn't even big yet. There was a small and barely noticeable bump there.

"It's not about the baby! The Avatar might have been captured. Ba Sing Se has fallen!" said Jin. Heavy and determined footsteps filled the spacious apartment. Uncle Mushi slid the door open with what most people would consider excessive force.

"What did you just say?" said Uncle Mushi. He looked…scary. Who was this man and what had he done with kindly old Uncle Mushi? Iroh knew he looked scary and he didn't care. He didn't mean to eavesdrop. He was praying to Agni for his nephew's child to be a fire bender when he heard Jin say Ba Sing Se had fallen.

"I-I heard some ladies talking about how they saw the Avatar's water tribe friend get captured by the Kyoshi warriors. They must be staging a coup to take over the city or something." Said Jin. Lee was panicking. They had to get out. They had to go…somewhere…anywhere. He went over to the stash of coins he had hidden in their room. He just started packing while Uncle Mushi grilled Jin about what she heard.

"We need to take a short trip to a…healer I know of. A woman in your condition need's frequent healer consultations." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee handed him a wicker basket for packing. They had to pack light and leave under cover of darkness. They had to make it look casual, like it was just a routine family outing.

"Uncle Mushi…I'm scared." Said Jin quietly. If the Earth King was dead or deposed then…they could all die. The city had been held under siege for six hundred days when she was a child and those were the worst six hundred days of her life. They had prevailed but people had still died from lack of supplies because so much was diverted to the wall and just general violence again because so many people were diverted to the wall. They had won then but now…who knew what would happen.

"We're all scared." Said Iroh. They were both looking at him, waiting for his plan. They were still children in some ways and he was the adult. At least Zuko knew to get them packed. There was a white lotus safe house in Gaoling they could go to on such short notice.

"But you know what to do, right?" asked Lee. This wasn't normal scared, this was ice water poured on inner flame scared. Why did his have to happen? Everything was going so good for them and now this had to happen.

"I will make the necessary arrangements. You two will pack only the necessities as well as food. We will be making our journey at nightfall. Tell no one." Said Uncle Mushi. He left out the door. Lee held Jin and muttered sweet nothings to her. He hoped beyond hope that everything would be alright. They packed everything necessary and waited. It was the waiting that got to them. They were waiting for an absolution that seemed to never come. It was hours before Uncle Mushi came home.

"Arrangements have been made. I have procured some travel papers for us. We'll be leaving in a few hours." Said Uncle Mushi as he sat down with them. from what he could gather those weren't the Kyoshi warriors. He was basing his plans on this being the work of Azula. She was a brilliant girl, if only Ozai hadn't ruined both of his children. They could have done such good together.

"Uncle Mushi…will everything be alright?" said Lee holding Jin close to him. Iroh hugged them both.

"I sincerely hope so, I sincerely do." Said Iroh. When nightfall came they made their move. They walked through the city streets until they came to a brush and ink shop. Lee was confused; this was no time to be shopping. He had faith in Uncle Mushi though, maybe his friends were going to help them escape. A part of him blanched at the thought of leaving the city. There was no war in Ba Sing Se. He was a tea server named Lee and he lived peacefully within the city.

"Mushi, I have those brushes you asked for in the back." said the brush seller. Jin and Lee looked at each other and then followed them. Then went to the back of the store and the shop owner opened a secret tunnel under his shop.

"The pathway is marked, do not deviate from it. It's very easy to get lost down there. Take the tunnels out and then run." Said the shop owner. Lee and Jin bowed respectfully before following Uncle Mushi.

"These must be the secret tunnels of Old Ba Sing Se." whispered Jin. Legend said that the city was built onto a spirit settlement where all Earth Kingdom life originated. It supposedly dated back to when people still learned earth bending from badger moles. She wondered how much of that was real and how much were just children's spirit tales.

"Indeed they are. Though I wonder how secret they can be now that we know about them." laughed Uncle Mushi. They laughed too even though it wasn't that funny. This was the Uncle Mushi they knew and loved. The joke cracking, proverb speaking, tea loving old man.

"How are we getting to Gaoling?" asked Lee. He knew that Gaoling wasn't anywhere near them and all the literature said that Jin shouldn't be walking for long periods of time in her condition. This was going to make for some story to tell the kids.

"We will cross the Serpent's Pass by boat. I'm not going to lie to you it will be dangerous but others have done it. After that the hard part will be over. There should be an ostrich horse drawn wagon waiting for us when we reach land. If not we will have to walk as much of the way as we can." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee was grateful that Uncle Mushi was able to plan ahead. He would have just left the city and run in whatever direction seemed safest.

"Are we going to die?" asked Jin. She could have sworn that she heard the ground rumble. Maybe the tunnel was caving in. Oh, why couldn't she have been an earth bender?!

"Not if I can help it." Said Uncle Mushi gravely. The tunnel rumbled and they all stopped. Suddenly the floor under them caved in. luckily they did not fall far. They rushed over to Jin to see if she was alright. During the fall Jin pushed her arms out in front of her. The air itself acted as a cushion and she landed more or less gracefully. She took It back, it was good to be an air bender.

"I knew it! You lied! You're working with Azula!" yelled a familiar voice. Lee and Uncle Mushi were suddenly incased in ice. Jin had dodged it at the last second. She had acted on pure air bender instinct. Uncle thawed himself and Lee out quickly. The spirits had something against them, it was the only explanation.

"I've had enough of you!" yelled Jin as she sent a powerful air blast towards the girl. Suddenly it dissipated. She turned to see a familiar bald little promise breaker. Lee and Uncle Mushi flanked her at each other sides. They saw the source of the cave in, an entire section of the wall was broken down in Aang's haste to get to Katara.

"Stop him! He's working with Azula!" yelled Katara as she sent another wave towards them. Iroh sent an incredibly hot fire blast and it turned to steam. Suddenly the crystals formed a wall separating the two groups.

"Who's Azula?!" yelled Lee as he tried to break through the crystal. He didn't want to hurt anyone but she had attacked his pregnant wife. Katara wasn't listening. She had believed his 'I'm Lee the tea server' act and it got her captured.

"No more lies!" yelled Katara. Jin jumped and put her air bending into it so she soared above the makeshift wall. It wasn't the most graceful landing but she was on their side. She wasn't going to take that.

"Nobody is lying to you! We don't know what you're talking about!" said Jin grabbing Katara's braid. She picked up a rock with her other hand and was about to hit the water tribe girl with it when it went flying out of her hands.

"Everybody knock it off!" yelled Toph. She thought that it was Dai Li in the tunnel it was hard to read Uncle's vibrations with all of this water and crystal distorting everything. Besides, who else but Dai Li or Azula would even be down here?

"This was just a plan to capture Aang! He lied to us Toph!" yelled Katara. Toph encased everybody in crystal. She needed to think. If this really was part of the plan then why didn't she feel the air bender girl lying when she said they didn't know Azula?

"I can assure you that we have nothing to do with anything and we are simply tring to get out of Ba Sing Se." said Iroh diplomatically. They didn't have time for this. They needed to get out of the city before Azula found them.

"Of course he'd say that." Scoffed Sokka. Jin inhaled and then blew him off his feet. Aang rushed over to her. He hadn't forgotten about her, he had just been in such a rush to go see Guru Pathnik to master the Avatar state.

"You've been practicing!" said Aang overjoyed. Jin gave him her best mother look. That was all he had to say to her. Really? He had promised to teach her air bending but he never showed up. Lee threw a fire ball over the crystal at the little monk. He felt bad about attacking a child but they had to get out of the city.

"Not the time, Aang. Not the time." said Sokka. They needed to get Katara and get out of there before those three dangerous ladies found them. They could deal with Prince Ponytail later. How dare he pretend to be brainwashed like Jet. He was the one that should have been dead, not Jet. And Sokka didn't even like Jet but at least Jet had tried to do some good in this world. All Zuko tried to do was capture the world's last chance for peace so he could make his father happy. He was the worst person Sokka had ever met.

"You move wrong. You're supposed to change direction at a moment's notice, like a leaf in the wind. Here, I'll show you." Said Aang. He began to take small, spinning steps and changed direction so quickly they could scarcely see him turn. Jin took mental note of that; it looked useful.

"Aang, don't help her! She's working with Zuko!" yelled Katara. Jin grabbed Katara's braid again and pulled hard. The water tribe girl sent water at her but she simply dodged it. Like a leaf in the wind. This was why she needed a teacher.

"We don't know any Zuko! I'm Jin. The old man is Uncle Mushi. The young man is my husband, Lee. The little bump is my daughter Zigsa. You are a crazy water barbarian." Said Jin. The ground shook as the crystal wall went down. They all looked at Toph. She buried Zuko up to his chest in crystal and felt his vibrations. This was Zuko. She was still going to go with the brainwashed theory.

"Husband…? You-you actually let him touch you! You traitor! You disgust me! You-!" said Katara before air and fire assaulted her. A fight broke out and Uncle Mushi tried to stop it. Zuko didn't feel bad about attacking them anymore. How dare they speak to Jin like that. They would pay.

"Enough! Toph, make another tunnel! You all, stop it! We're trying to escape just like you are!" yelled Iroh. He had enough of this. Time was not on their side and frankly he was amazed that Azula hadn't made her way down there with the entire Dai Li by then.

"You know him?" asked Aang. Toph shrugged. She was a little scared and didn't like being ordered around but if she was him she'd be trying to get out too.

"He gave me some tea and some very good advice." Said Toph before complying. This tunnel connected to the main tunnel out. She could feel a lot of people coming in fast. They had to go.

"You're helping them! Toph how could you!?" said Katara as Breezy and her family did the sensible thing and ran. Toph earth bent them flying into the tunnel and closed it behind them. They needed to get out. She could feel the footfalls of the scary girl that took bending away. That scared her. if she couldn't bend she couldn't see.

"What are you doing!" screamed Katara. They were going with Zuko and his little floozy?! No! they neede to find Azula and defeat her!

"I can feel them coming. We need to get out of the city. Katara, if it was just her we'd have a chance but she has those girls and the entire Dai Li! Think!" said Toph. Katara shut up and ran. If Toph was calling her by her real name then things were definitely serious. They ran for their lives until they were out of the city. Aang whistled for Appa and thankfully they didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately for them Azula and the Dai Li had caught up with them.

"Well, well, well. Traitors and enemies working together." Said Azula. Lee felt his blood run cold. He knew her. He knew her from somewhere. Every instinct told him she was dangerous and he listened. Jin didn't do any waiting. She kicked up a sand storm with her air bending and a pink flash came towards her. She changed direction.

"Don't let her touch you!" yelled the little earth bender. She had buried the hair buns girl up to her neck in sand. Jin finished the job. Obviously these people wanted them dead. This was no time for mercy. The pink girl jabbed at her and she moved like a leaf in the wind.

"It looks like we're dancing!" laughed the grey eyed round faced girl. Grey eyes. Round face. Brown hair. If this hadn't been a life or death scenario Jin would have asked the girl to try air bending. Uncle Mushi said that there were bound to be more of her people out there. She was getting sick of dodging and blew the girl into the water. The scary fire bender girl looked honestly shocked.

"Freeze the water!" yelled Jin. Katara didn't think, she just listened. She didn't know Ty-Lee was under there as she froze the top of the entire lake. She had her own problems to deal with. These Dai Li just wouldn't stay down. Even Appa was helping. She blanched at the carnage where Appa had crushed some of them against the rocky shore. Aang was inside of an earth tent. Katara hoped he was consulting with past lives or something important. This was not the time for meditation!

"I'd expect this kind of treachery form Uncle, but you Zu-Zu?" said Azula. She could hold them off on her own. These Dai Li were more of a hindrance than help. Honestly! Earth benders getting crushed against rocks?

"You know me?" asked Lee. He was still dodging her attacked. He had picked up a short sword the water tribe boy dropped. He seemed alright with his boomerang and club…thing. He didn't try and fire bend because Uncle was handling that front. He was the master after all.

"Of course, dumb-dumb." Scoffed Azula. She wasn't going to fall for what he thought were mind games. She looked around; where were Mai and Ty-Lee? Lee wanted to stop fighting and shake her until she told him everything. The smarter part of him knew that this wasn't the time.

"Don't listen to her! Whatever she says is a lie!" yelled Uncle as he swept aside some blue flame. Azula was the picture of calmness on the outside. On the inside she was reeling. Why wouldn't they fight her properly! Uncle was fighting almost like a water bender and Zuko was swinging a sword at her like a peasant. Well, he had always been a mediocre fire bender so maybe he had finally accepted that.

"Zu-Zu, I'm your sister. Why would I lie to you?" asked Azula. Iroh waited for a tense moment. Azula hoped he take the bait like so many times in the past. He simply swung his sword and slashed her side. How dare she! His sister was dead! His family was dead! He'd kill her! Rage consumed him.

"My sister is dead!" yelled Zuko as he surrounded his sword with fire. Azula held her side and stared at him wide eyed. He was truly gone. He had turned traitor and he had to die. Not for her personal benefit or father's but for the good of the nation. Iroh watched as Azula began to call forth lightening and grabbed her hand just as he did on the ship all those months ago. He pointed her hand to the sky and lightening sprang forth. Everyone watched in awe, even the hair bun dagger girl who had managed to unbury herself was watching. Lee slashed at her again and she cried out. No! she wasn't going to be beat by Zuko! Suddenly the Avatar emerged seemingly form nowhere. It wasn't the little monk, it was the Avatar spirit. Water from the lake flew into the air and was joined by sand from the beach and fire from the Avatar himself. The Avatar's allies ran to the bison and Uncle pulled him there too. He grabbed Jin as well; she was mesmerized by what she saw. The Avatar had the entire Dai Li in the torrent and they didn't look well…or very much alive. She was going to be seeing this whenever she closed her eyes for the rest of her life.

"Run to the bison!" said Uncle Mushi over the wind. He was dragging both of them to the bison. Forget the boat, there wasn't a lake there anymore for cross anyway! If they had any hope of living they needed to get on the bison. The Avatar miraculously wasn't harming any of his friends or his spirit animal. Azula tried to call the lightening again but her chi was depleted. Uncle had somehow drained her when he redirected her lightening. She wasn't running away like a dishonorable coward. She wasn't Zuko! She threw fire blast after fire blast at him. Mai pulled her back the way they came. This fight was over. Eventually Aang calmed down and surveyed the damage he had done. He wept. Katara went over to him to console him. Jin and Lee looked around trying to find wounded. They weren't sure what they could do but nobody should have to die like that. A part of Lee was telling him that this wasn't honorable. These people expected to fight humans, not crazy spirit powers. He found a pink clad girl with blood running down her head mumbling incoherently. He got the feeling he knew her.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Once again thank you for your reviews your input is very much value. Yes I am a LOTR fan and now I realize that yes, those names weren't that good. Any name suggestions will be very valued. Seriously. I need names. I continue to apologize for the grammatical errors, these chapters are witten very late at night/early in the morning.

-Wow, I really miscalculated the passage of time and for that I apologize. The timeline has been pushed back accordingly. The Gaang plus Zuko and Iroh arrive in Ba Sing Se at the very end or winter/beginning of spring and I always imagined they spent a while in Ba Sing Se. There seems to be a large amount of time passing from "Omg we've got to get to the Earth King to warn him but oh no Long Feng is evil!" to "Tales of our day to day lives in Ba Sing Se/ man we're getting comfy enough to visit spas and crash poetry classes."

-Jin isn't showing past her tunic, she the bump is visible though she's not as big as a house. If someone didn't know she was pregnant they couldn't unless they looked very closely. Also Lee's a worrier much like Zuko is so the thought of a little person being in there makes him treat Jin almost like an infant herself.

"What do we do? Should we help her?" asked Jin. When they were fighting Jin had only though of her as an enemy but now she looked helpless. She was bleeding and her arm had extra corners.

"She's working with the lightening girl but she's hurt." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi was coming over to see what they were looking at. She was the only person who seemed to be conscious. The sand was red with blood. Lee remembered something about water. Cold water. He was…on a boat? No, a raft…with Uncle Mushi. Bodies were floating along the current with them. He didn't want to remember.

"We need to leave before the city guard gets here." Said Uncle Mushi. He didn't want them to see this. He didn't want anyone to see this. They had to leave with the Avatar and his group or they would be trapped.

"She's alive." Said Lee. She was muttering something about the circus and a flaming net. Lee didn't want to leave her. That could have been Jin lying there in the sand. She should have never been in the fight. He shuddered to think of what could have happened to her if she hadn't been a bender.

"That is most fortunate." Said Uncle Mushi. Iroh was assessing the situation. On the one hand she was working with Azula. He knew the effect his niece had on people so it was entirely possible she wasn't there on her own accord. On the other hand she was hurt and in no condition to be doing anything. She was a good ally to have but she was dangerous too.

"What should we do?" asked Lee. He wanted to help the girl, at least until she was alright. He looked over at his little family and then at the Avatar's group. They were looking at him for guidance. He was the only true adult there. What he did now would color their opinion of him and by extension his family forever.

"She'll have to come with us then. If the city guard is loyal to the Earth King and Azula has truly retreated then she will die. If we abandon her out here to the elements and she isn't found she will die. I do not wish to see anymore death today." Said Iroh. Lee didn't like seeing Uncle Mushi like this. He seemed so very, very old.

"How do we get her on the bison? I know only trained healers are supposed to move hurt people." Said Jin. She looked over at the Avatar's group. The Avatar was sitting curled up in a little ball and the water tribe girl was consoling him. Poor kid. Poor kid with the lethal spirit powers.

"Katara's a healer." Said Toph. Jabbity needed help; Toph could feel her fluttery breath and heart through the rocks in the sand if she focused really hard. She had been able to un-burry Stabbity but she had lost Jabbity in the fight. It wasn't easy fighting Dai Li which felt more like ants than people and keeping track of everyone. Jin looked over at the little earth bender girl. She was blind. Wow. That little girl…was made of amazing.

"What?" asked a weary Katara. Jin committed her name to memory. She could go on calling her water tribe girl. Lee looked carefully at her. She was younger than him and Jin, too young to be a healer. An apprentice maybe, and that was a hard maybe, but not a fully licensed healer. Toph hardened the sand under Jabbity. Yup, definitely extremely hurt.

"She's hurt." Said Unlce Mushi pointing at the pink girl. She wasn't bleeding that much, Lee thanked the spirits for that, but people's arms weren't supposed bend that way. At least she was breathing. That was a good sign.

"Good." Said Katara as she came over to them. One less enemy to worry about. Now all they needed to do was get rid of the gloomy dagger girl and the Fire Princess herself. Then Zuko.

"Here!" said Toph. She lifted the hardened sand off the ground and moved it very slowly towards Appa. She could feel where Appa was and had an idea of where Jabbity was. She could sort of feel the earth she was lifting but she couldn't see it. She was in no mood for Katara. Zuko, Uncle, and Jin had been helping them. Even someone blind could see that.

"Toph, no! We're not helping them!" said Katara. Jin wanted to blow her high into the sky so she'd never come back. Uncle Mushi had grabbed her and Lee and was leading them to the bison. The water tribe boy was helping the Avatar onto the bison. He just lay there all curled up. The water tribe girl began to voice her opposition and Uncle Mushi silenced her with a glare. One day Lee was going to have to ask Uncle Mushi where he learned how to do that.

They had been flying on the bison for hours. Jin didn't feel good. It was amazing being up so high soaring through the air but Zigsa made her nauseated at the best of times. Hmm…maybe not Zigsa now that she thought about it. Katara was a nice name but it was water tribe. The air was tense with both groups waiting for each other to make a move. Thankfully Katara was steering Appa.

"I'm sorry." Said Aang softly and suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. He looked so young curled up against Sokka. Aang didn't feel well. He knew that to master the avatar state he would need to let go of his attachments so he did. He let Katara go and went into the Avatar state. He just wanted to stop Azula. He didn't want to kill anyone. All life was sacred.

"It's alright Aang." Said Sokka as Appa descended to the ground. When Appa landed Katara rushed over to Aang and enveloped him in a hug. Lee held Jin and helped her stay steady. Flying had been exhilarating for him but it had obviously taken its toll on her.

"No, it's not." Said Aang. He hadn't been all the way there since he came out of the avatar state. He hadn't noticed Ty Lee laying on Appa behind Iroh and his little family. Ty Lee was still up there, her arm in a makeshift splint made from the bottom of Jin's dress and a ladle. It was the best Lee and Jin could do on short notice. Their supplies had been lost and they only had the money pouches they had hidden on themselves.

"Aang, you did what you had to do. They were working for Azula." Said Katara. Jin gave her a look. It had been a life or death situation but she didn't have to be so cold about it. This was a twelve year old boy, not a hardened soldier.

"They were people with homes and families!" shouted Aang. Uncle Mushi motioned towards Lee and the two of them climbed back on the bison and helped get the pink girl down. She was asleep now but even if she was awake she was in no condition to attack them.

"They were helping the Fire Nation take over Ba Sing Se! Azula tried to kill you!" said an exasperated Katara. Aang was the world's last hope to end the war. Those Dai Li were evil and they worked for Azula who was even more evil. Therefore they needed to be stopped.

"All life is sacred! I don't want to have to kill anyone." Said Aang. Katara felt her anger ebb. Aang was just a kid and he had been frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years. He didn't understand the reality of the war. He didn't know what the Fire Nation was really like. He was like Toph. Toph had grown up behind mansion walls her entire life. The war hadn't touched her like it had the rest of them. that was why she kept falling for Zuko's lies.

"Aang, sometimes a man has to do things he doesn't want to for the good of the tribe. It's not nice or pretty but it has to be done or everyone will pay the price." Said Sokka. When he was little during the long polar winter a man, never quite right, had gone crazy and killed his family. Nobody knew until the blizzard passed. That they all the men went on a so called hunting trip and the man didn't come back. Sokka's father had explained what had happened. At first Sokka hated his father, hated the man, hated the world but as he got old he realized that some people were evil and evil people had to be stopped before people got killed.

"There has to be another way! There's always another way!" said Aang. He threw himself on the ground and made himself and earth tent. He couldn't deal with this. He had killed people. Air nomads didn't kill people! He didn't kill people!

"Aang! Aang let me in! Toph, open the tent!" said Katara pounding on the walls of the earth tent. If Jin wasn't feeling so very tired she would have told Katara that obviously he just needed to time to get his head sorted out. She almost killed people and she didn't feel nearly as bad as that kid did. maybe it was because she was older.

"Just give him some time." said Toph. They needed some time to come to terms with what had happened. This was a war and even she, a kid, knew that in a war people died. It wasn't a walk in the garden but it had to be done. That didn't make it right but life wasn't always right.

"I agree. It has been a shocking day for everyone. We all need to calm down and get ourselves together." Said Iroh. He looked over the girl. She didn't have any internal injuries that he could detect but an actual trained healer would have been better. She wasn't going to die like this.

"This is all your fault!" said Katara. She was so angry she pulled water from the very air itself. She suddenly found herself half buried in the earth. Toph was sick of fighting.

"Are you crazy?! It was that lightening girl's fault! She's the one who brought the Dai Li and she's the one who tried to kill everyone! She's the one who invaded Ba Sing Se! I'm not sure why the Kyoshi warriors would want to do all this but she did." said a very, very angry Lee. He was not going to be blamed for someone else's actions. He had risked his life and the lives of his family but this girl was still blaming him.

"I don't think she was really from Kyoshi. Remember the crazy blue fire?" said Jin. She would never forget that crazy blue fire or anything else from that day. It was so ingrained in her memory that maybe her little baby would remember it when it was born.

"You can drop the act now, Zuko!" yelled Katara still buried in the ground. Sokka wisely decided to stay out of this. The second one of them tried something, no matter how unlikely that was, they were getting boomeranged.

"I'm Lee!" yelled Lee angrily. He threw his down in frustration. He inadvertently fire bent but luckily Uncle Mushi put him out. He didn't mean to do it. He just had enough of that. He was glad he only scorched the earth and set himself on fire. He didn't want to start anything with these people. He took a shaky breath before running into the forest

"Lee, wait!" said Jin as she rushed after him. The sooner they got away from these people the better. She guessed they hadn't left because of the pink acrobat girl. Twigs cut against her as she chased after him.

"I'm Lee!" said Lee as he ran through the forest. Disjointed images filled his mind. He didn't want to remember. If he was really that horrible girls brother then he must have been a horrible person.

"I didn't say you weren't!" said Jin. She put some air bending into her running and may have overdone it a little. She went flying into Lee's back and they both ended up on the ground. Lee thrashed against the ground. He was Lee! He served tea! He wasn't that Zuko guy!

"I'm Lee. I want to be Lee." Cried Lee. Jin held him close as he cried. She didn't like seeing Lee this upset. She had never seen him like this before and never wanted to see him like this again. Lee wasn't trying to remember now, he was trying to forget. He couldn't remember everything but he knew his father had done this to him. His own father. He was a Fire Nation noble of some sort. He and his Uncle were in the military or something and they had been trying to capture the Avatar. How could he do something so evil?

"Nobody's saying you can't! You're Lee. You're my husband Lee and our baby's father. That's what matters. Understand?" said Jin. Lee was shaking his head. He was a bad person. Jin didn't need him. nobody needed him. Jin got a very cross look. Why did he care what Katara said? She was his wife; he should only care about what she said. She said he was Lee.

"I-I want to be Lee." Said Lee. Jin gave him a long suffering look. She had just told him he was Lee. Maybe he wasn't. She the Dai Li had done something to him. Maybe…no he was Lee. He had to be Lee. He just had to be. What did some water tribe girl know, anyway?

"I'm not stopping you. You're Lee and I love you. You're Lee and you're a good person. A lot happened today but I know you. I love you." Said Jin kissing him. He kissed her back. He wanted to be Lee and he was going to be Lee. He made the active decision to forget all that he remembered. If nobody knew he remembered then things could stay the same. He didn't know exactly who he was but he knew he didn't want to go back to being that person. Jin kissed him back deeply and they soon realized that the forest was not made for certain things.

Page break back to Iroh and the Gaang

"I'm assuming that you missed us fighting on your side." Said Iroh as he knelt down next to Azula's pink associate. Poor girl. He was going to keep her alive and hopefully get her on their side. Katara struggled to free herself. There was all the proof they needed. Obviously they were working for Azula if they were helping her allies.

"You're just trying to trick us!" said Katara. Toph made a very annoyed sound and threw herself on the ground. She was in no mood for this. How could Katara be so dense?

"I assure that if I wanted to trick you, you'd be tricked." Said Iroh diplomatically. He would have to tread carefully with this one. She obviously thought she suffered more from this war than most. Being from the southern water tribe she had.

"Then why were you there right when Azula was?" asked Katara. Sokka gave him a questioning look. it was suspicious that first he and The Angry Jerk show up then Azula and the entire Dai Li. Toph wanted to rip her hair out, they were obviously trying to escape the city like any sane person would have.

"That was an unfortunate coincidence but as I recall we would have been able to escape much sooner had you and your group not held us up." Said Iroh. Katara turned a very odd color and began to speak incoherently.

"So you expect us to believe you're on our side now?" asked Sokka. Iroh shook his head. He didn't expect them to believe anything just yet. He didn't know what they would do now. His best bet was to keep heading for Gaoling. If the Avatar's group could get them close to there then things would be alright.

"I don't expect you to believe anything you don't want to believe. I would like it if your group would provide healing to this young lady and perhaps passage to Gaoling if it's possible. After that we'll all be out of your hair." Said Iroh diplomatically. Toph twitched at the mention of her home city. She couldn't go back there after what her parents had done. It didn't matter if she could metal bend her way out of anything, she wasn't going to fight her parents.

"Why should we help you?" asked Sokka. Sokka wanted them to be on their side, it would make things a lot easier, but he was weary of them. Sure they had helped but it could be an elaborate plan. Zuko seemed to be sincere but that didn't mean the general guy wasn't planning anything.

"Because we aided your group in battle and we have an injured person as well as a pregnant woman." Said Iroh. The sooner they got to Gaoling the better. He'd have to leave Zuko and Jin in the safe house, take Azula's associate to healer that could keep a secret, and the rendezvous with the White Lotus and make plans based on what they knew of the Avatar's invasion plan. This was going to be a busy few weeks.

"Are you sure Jin's pregnant and not just getting fat?" asked Sokka. He had seen pregnant women before and they were much bigger. Iroh gave him a long look. Toph punched him in the arm.

"Not the time, Snoozles, not the time." said Toph. She hadn't been around pregnant women before baby Hope's mother, pregnant women didn't really come to the rumbles, but she imagine that they didn't wake up one day suddenly as big as a house. This wasn't the time to be making jokes.

"I'm just making sure. She doesn't look that big and frankly the thought of um…Lee…and any girl…well it just doesn't seem…um…well if I was a girl I'd…." said Sokka trying to find a nice way to tell the old general guy that he couldn't really picture any girl willing making it with Zuko. And it wasn't just the massive scar taking up half his face. It was strange, they could call the guy names, attack him, and various other things but he couldn't talk about the guy's love life for some reason.

"I assure you that it is quite true. I've seen things I can't un-see." Said Iroh with a shudder. Toph sat lotus style on the ground. She had been wondering what she was feeling. It was faint and she thought it might have been other travelers but now…her feet couldn't un-see it. She unburied Katara, she felt calmer now that Lee and Jin were gone.

"Gross." Said Sokka with a shudder. Katara began to limber up. She'd have to have a serious talk with Toph later and explain the war. Sometimes she forgot that Toph was just a little twelve going on thirteen year old girl raised behind safe walls.

"We're not helping you with anything." Said Katara. She wished she still had her water skin. She wasn't going to be lied too. Sokka gave her a hard look. She was too angry to properly negotiate. The General and the rest of them had been fighting Azula and he had seen the general deflect Azula's freaky fire bending lightening. If they were going to try and capture Aang back there would have been the time to do it. Besides, Toph trusted them.

"She doesn't speak for us, he does." Said Toph. Katara made an angry noise but Toph didn't care. Sokka was calm and calm people were better negotiators.

"Fine, we'll help you but only because you helped us." Said Sokka much to Katara's anger. What had happened to everyone. Had the Dai Li gotten to them? She saw some mud, if she could only separate the water from that she could try and mind heal them…like Jet.

"Fine." Said Katara. She didn't want to fight anymore. Later on she could mind heal her friends and then stop whatever it was they were planning. They had beaten Zuko many times before. So what if he had his old uncle, an unconscious circus freak, and an untrained air bender? Well, she felt bad about driving away the only other air bender they had ever seen. Plus she was pregnant, or so she said. Katara had never seen a pregnant woman be so active, everyone knew pregnant women had to stay in bed for most of the day or the baby could be hurt. All she had to do was bide her time until she could fix her friend's minds.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Once again I want to thank you all for your very helpful reviews. You readers are what make it all worthwhile. Now for a few hundred words.

-I didn't mean to bash Katara per say. Her cannon characterization has been a little all over the place in regards to Zuko. In the Zutara cave she hears about his life and is all ready to heal his scar but then he goes and helps Azula. It's perfectly understandable for her to hate him. Later on it gets spotty. In the western air temple she doesn't trust him, an episode later she's joking with everyone else about the Dancing Dragon Fire Bending form and letting him interact with the group like its nothing. He and Sokka bring her father back from the Boiling Rock prison and she seems alright with him. Later on though she's upset and they go off and try to find her mother's killer and in turn kill him. In that episode she's back to square one with Zuko but that's because it's the anniversary of her mother's death. So cannon Katara's seen the good in Zuko and she accepts him.

-A Tea Server Named Lee Katara hasn't. As far as she's concerned Zuko's the evil Fire Lord's son whose been chasing them all over the world. She hasn't heard from him since the Chase and even then he refused to let her heal Uncle. The fact that he just suddenly turns up in Ba Sing Se, and right before Azula, is unbelievably suspicious to her. Zuko claims to be brainwashed like Jet was but she has no confirmation of this. Right now she's a mess because of everything that happened in Ba Sing Se and her life. She saw her mother die when she was a child, took on the role of her mother and I'd imagine suffers some sort of guilt because the fire nation was looking for a water bender and she was the only South Pole water bender. The fact that she saw the Fire Nation kill her mother, actually saw, can't be good for her mental health. So when she looks at Zuko she sees the Fire Nation personified in its prince. She doesn't know his motivations but she imagines that capturing the world's last hope for peace can't possibly have a good reason. It's not that I don't like Katara, she's a fascinating character. Right now in her mind Zuko's either a liar and working with Azula, or he's brainwashed and crazy like Jet was. Either way it's bad. Iroh bringing Ty-Lee with doesn't help much. She seems like she's being cold but remember that Ty-Lee is working for Azula and she can take bending away. Katara knows the Gaang doesn't need that.

"Lee?" asked Jin as she lay curled up against him on top of her outer tunic. Her fingers were lazily tracing the skin on the outer reaches of his scar. That had been stupid. Very stupid. The forest was not the place for that.

"Jin?" asked Lee. He was Lee. He was Lee. And she was Jin. And they were covered in dirt. He didn't know how things ended up to where they were but they did. on the bright side he didn't feel as bad. It was impossible to feel bad laying there next to her.

"Are we going to be alright?" asked Jin. Lee pulled her in closer. He didn't know. Uncle Mushi had a plan and they were going to follow it.

"I hope so." Said Lee. Jin's fingers were on the scaly, scarred flesh. It was both beautiful and disturbing. Like a burn comet on the side of his face. She wanted to be back in the city where things made sense. She may have hated the upper ring but at least they didn't have to fight for their lives. Now they were heading to Gaoling. She just wanted to go home.

"My father did that." Said Lee quietly. Jin yanked her hand back like it was on fire. His father…her mother wasn't her biggest fan but she had never burned half of Jin's face! Lee ran his hand through her now undone braid. He had to tell her, he loved her and when you love a person you tell them the things that bother you.

"…why?" asked Jin quietly. She propped herself up on one arm and looked down at him. He looked very distant for a moment. Lee didn't want to remember. He knew that he said something wrong and embarrassed his father. His father was…important…somehow.

"I said something wrong and I embarrassed my father." Said Lee. He got the feeling that it was more than that. Jin got a look of barely contained rage. THAT was why Lee was missing half his face! No wonder Uncle Mushi had been vague! That was no good reason to mutilate someone.

"What! If that's what happened then….then….then you're better off not remembering him!" said Jin angrily. She was so mad she couldn't even see straight. The thought of anyone hurting Lee…and for such a stupid reason. She didn't care if his father was the Earth King or Fire Lord or Water Tribe chief or the last Avatar! Embarrassment was no reason to-to…ugh!

"I'm sorry Jin." Said Lee sitting up. He held her close. He didn't mean to upset her. He only wanted for her to be safe and happy.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm just upset because of what happened to you, Lee. I'm not mad at you, I love you." Said Jin. Lee kissed her and they got up and got dressed. Over and under tunics were covered in dirt and forest debris. Wonderful.

"I'm still sorry I upset you." Said Lee. He pulled some leaves and twigs from her hair. They had to at least look presentable to stay in the Avatar's groups good graces. Well, everyone but the water tribe girl seemed to at least tolerate them. Toph was even nice. Lee knew that he must have done something bad to them in the past but he was Lee now and Lee was a good person.

"I forgive you even though I wasn't upset with you." Laughed Jin as she shook the dirt out of her over tunic. At least brown was an Earth Kingdom color. She wished she had at least one change of clothes.

"Lady Jin of Ba Sing Se, I accept your apology even though you feel you had no reason to apologize." Said Lee with exaggerated politeness. Jin gave him an exaggerated bow and they laughed. This was normal. Normal was good. Expressing themselves physically in the forest wasn't.

"Maybe we should forage for food. You know, to make the Avatar's group like us." Said Jin. She saw some berries growing and there were bound to be some root vegetables. She didn't know which ones were safe. Maybe they could offer some to the flying rabbit money and eat the ones it did.

"You're right." Said Lee. They picked some berries and Jin found some root vegetables. They used their tunics as baskets and returned to camp. The pink girl was awake and being interrogated by the water tribe boy. The girl was comforting the Avatar. Poor little boy.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone." Said Ty-Lee her arm in a makeshift sling. It was true, once people couldn't fight anymore Azula didn't feel she had to hurt them.

"So we just imagined you paralyzing us?" said Sokka. His aura was all dingy with flecks of angry red. He was just angry because he didn't know what Azula would do to him. she blocked out the memories of what Azula had done to the Kyoshi Warriors she didn't have time to paralyze and wouldn't stay pinned down. Mai didn't want to hurt anyone either.

"Of course you didn't silly. If I hadn't done that Azula would have killed you. She just cares that you stop fighting and can't be a threat anymore; once you aren't a threat anymore Azula has no reason to kill you." Said Ty-Lee. Her levity at the subject of her…friend?...employer?...whatever killing people was shocking.

"You don't seem too choked up about Azula killing people." Said Sokka. Ty-Lee locked her grey eyes with his.

"It's the only way. I never wanted to join Azula but what's done is done. It's better to detach and stay bubbly than dwell on things that can't be changed and slowly go crazy." Said Ty-Lee. She ran away from Azula when she was twelve and joined the circus. She loved Azula like a sister but sometimes it was better to be free of the things you loved if they were dangerous to you.

"If you didn't want to join her then why did you?" asked Katara from a few feet away. This girl was…strange. Katara had healed her, it was the descent thing to do and they didn't need any more death that day, the pink girl woke up and told her that her aura was all stormy. No "Who are you!? What are you doing! Where's Azula!?" just…"Wow, your aura is almost as stormy as Zuko's."

"Because she found me in the circus and asked me nicely. When I said no she stayed for my performance. Trust me; Azula isn't the kind of person that likes the circus. She's too…un-fun. She set the net on fire under me and then released all the animals. A few died, very sad. The meat must not have been very good either." Said Ty-Lee. Well, at least there would have been plenty of meat until the next town even if she had been rather attached to the animals. She was going to miss them and her circus friends.

"So she forced you?" asked Sokka. Toph was standing behind Ty-Lee giving him signals if she was lying or not. So far she was telling them the truth. Sokka still didn't like her. She scared him. With a jab of her fingers she could take bending away, just like that. She could paralyze people at will whenever she felt like it. She was proof that you didn't need lightening or freaky blue fire to be scary.

"Kind of. It was nice seeing her again and all but I would have preferred to stay with the circus." Said Ty-Lee. She was watching Zuko out of the corner of her eye. He looked much cuter than before even with the scar. He was with that air bender girl, unfortunately.

"What's Azula planning next?" asked Sokka getting right down to it. He knew her motivations and that she wouldn't be a threat so now he needed to know about their biggest threat. Contrary to Katara's belief it wasn't one very brainwashed Prince Zuko.

"I honestly don't know. We were supposed to come back with the Avatar and…the prince…but she doesn't have either so she'll be looking for you." Said Ty-Lee eyeing Zuko. He and that air bender girl we separating out what was safe to eat from what wasn't. She and Mai had gone through Long Feng's secret stalker records and found Zuko. Well, what they had done to Zuko. Long Feng was letting them be so they'd bring other high ranking Fire Nation Defectors to the city. She and Mai had destroyed that record shortly after finding it. Zuko had enough problems and Mai didn't want him to get hurt again. Poor Mai…Zuko was taken now. Taken and brainwashed.

"Right; and you're not going to lead her to us?" said Sokka. Ty-Lee shook her head. She didn't want to go back with Azula no matter how good of friends they were. Azula was…different…after Zuko was banished. Actually it started after her mother disappeared. Well, it wasn't like Azula was ever all the way right in the head to begin with but she had never killed people when they were kids.

"No, I just want to go back to the circus." Said Ty-Lee. Sokka looked over at Toph and she indicated that Ty-Lee wasn't lying. Hmm...it would be good to have someone who takes away bending as an ally. Eclipse or no eclipse they were bound to run into Azula and dagger girl again.

"What happened to Suki?" asked Sokka. Ty-Lee racked her brain. She didn't know any Sukki. She knew a Sokki and a Sukka though.

"I don't know any Suki." Said Ty-Lee. Sokka took a deep calming breath. Maybe they had just made those Kyoshi Warrior costumes and not stolen them off the real Kyoshi Warrios. Who were working just outside of Ba Sing Se. who would have helped them if they had been there.

"She was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors." Said Sokka. Realization dawned on Ty-Lee. Oh…well she knew the leader was still alive. At least she hoped so.

"She's probably at the Boiling Rock prison. Azula kept her alive for reasons…reasons she never told us." Said Ty-Lee. Sokka jumped to his feet. He could think of the reasons…none of them were good. He had to save Suki from whatever Azula had done with her.

"Where's the Boiling Rock?" asked Sokka. Ty-Lee shrugged her good shoulder. She knew it was in the Fire Nation in a lake in a volcano but she didn't know where. Iroh cleared his throat.

"Far, very far. In the heart of the Fire Nation on the uninhabited island of Nyakki. I would not advise going there. It houses hundreds of the most dangerous prisoners of the fire nation as well as war prisoners. If you were to get there you'd have to find your friend and get out before word could reach the Fire Lord. When it does you can bet that there will be a blockade of both ships and war balloons around the entire Fire Nation." Said Iroh gravely.

"I don't care, we need to save her!" said Sokka. Toph was torn. On the one hand they had to rescue their friend. On the other hand she may have been a teeny, tiny, little bit jealous of Suki. Not that she'd leave Suki to rot in prison or anything. Also, how exactly where they supposed to infiltrate a giant prison in the middle of the Fire Nation and find Suki, who might not have even been there, and get out before the very, very pissed off Azula or even the Fire Lord himself found and tried to kill them.

"We'll use the eclipse." Said Toph. Iroh stared at her. How had they known about that? It was the most closely guarded secret in the military. Eight minutes of utter powerlessness.

"How are we going to have time to take out the Fire Lord and save Suki. It's only eight minutes!" said Sokka angrily. Toph kicked the ground and Sokka fell onto his back. Ty-Lee giggled. So, they were going to take out the Fire Lord? Good, he was crazy. Poor Azula though…she'd be devastated. Unless, of course, they took her out too and tried to make Zuko the Fire Lord. Poor Azula.

"We don't all have to take out the Fire Lord, genius. Aang can fly on his own and carry one person with his glider. The rest of us can split up and a group can go to this Boiling Rock place and get Suki." Said Toph. Sokka opened and closed his mouth comically. That might actually work.

"I agree with Toph." Said Katara. She watched Zuko to gage his reaction. He didn't seem fazed that they were talking about killing his father. Maybe he really didn't know who he was. She'd have to get close enough to him and see if he'd been mind bent.

"They're crazy." Whispered Jin to Lee and Uncle Mushi. Taking out the Fire Lord? Sure, he'd be dead but if that Azula girl was really the princess then wouldn't she be the next Fire Lord or Lady or whatever? And even if he was dead he still had soldiers on every corner of the world! They wouldn't instantly get the message that the Fire Lord was dead and they'd just keep going. Or maybe they were only following the Fire Lord because they were scared of him like this Ty-Lee girl was scared of Azula.

"I fear that you all, like my nephew over here, have the inability to think things all the way through." Said Iroh. Ozai needed to be taken out. That much was certain. The problem was that they were used to their governments. For the Southern Water Tribes when a chief died his son would succeed him. with no chief the tribe had no leadership. In the Earth Kingdom when the monarch of one court died a will was read to find his heir. If no heir was named the court fell into chaos. If Ozai was killed there was no way that the Fire Sages would crown Azula. Even if there was no Fire Lord for a few days or weeks the process of government wouldn't stop. People had their standing orders. It didn't matter what his will stated, they weren't stupid. They had learned from his own father's passing. Yes, he could definitely see them unearthing some thousand year old scroll with a spirit tale that they would use to interpret either him or Zuko taking the thrown. It looked like it would have to be him.

"We're planning right now." Said Katara. They knew what they had to do. They had to invade the Fire Nation, kill the Fire Lord, and then the war would be over. If the chief of an enemy tribe, yes there were other tribes in the South Pole, and her father declared war on each other it would last until one side either gave up or a chief died. At least that's what Gran-Gran had told her. They didn't have much contact with the other tribes since the raids. That was why the Southern Tribe had been formed, so that each tribe could govern its self under their own chief. At least, Gran-Gran said so anyway.

"Planning yes, but what will you do after the Fire Lord is dead?" said Iroh. Aang looked up. He wanted to defeat the Fire Lord, not kill him. Toph could feel a fight brewing. It was later in the day, almost dinner time. She didn't want to fight on an empty stomach. They had reached Katara very late last night, fought for hours, left around dawn or so, and then gotten this campsite ready. She needed food before she dealt with one more thing.

"The war will be over." Said Katara. Lee nodded. The Fire Lord started the war so shouldn't his death end it? Nobody liked war and nobody wanted to fight in it.

"The beginning and end to a war are not instantaneous. Sure the Fire Lord will be dead but then what will you do about Azula? What about the soldiers still out there in the Earth Kingdom? What about the colonies?" asked Iroh. He hated to put these children through the ringer but these were very adult problems they were taking on. They needed to grow and gradually become adults before took on all of the responsibilities of adulthood. He looked over at Zuko and Jin. All of them.

"We'll have to take out Azula too then. The soldiers will eventually get the message and go home. The people in the colonies will have to go back to the Fire Nation." Said Katara. It made sense to Aang. Without the Fire Lord there to keep the war going all the soldiers could get on with their lives and be with their families. The people in the Colonies were fire nation people and belonged in the fire nation. Gyatso said that people from different nations stayed in their own nation because it was best suited to them and they didn't mix with people from other nations. He looked over at Jin. Well, he now knew that it wasn't physically impossible, just frowned upon.

"Some of those colonies have been there for a hundred years." Said Jin. Katara gave her a look but decided not to fight. It would do them no good to keep pushing Jin away. Like it or not they weren't exactly swimming in air benders.

"Well I'm-we'll cross the road when we come to it." Said Katara. Iroh gave her a sympathetic look. This startled her. The old uncle had been downright scary before. Now he just looked like a tired old man. He looked more like he could be Zuko's grandfather really.

"If I at my old age don't have all the answers then I cannot expect you to. I am simply saying that our actions can have lasting consequences and sometimes unintended consequences. This war will be over but the aftermath can last for decades, even centuries." Said Iroh. Lee listened to his Uncle Mushi with his full attention. He sounded very sage-like right then.

"Well either way we have to take out the Fire Lord before the comet comes. Avatar Roku said so." Said Sokka. Iroh paled. How did they know about Sozin's comet. Avatar Roku said…Avatar Roku? He knew the Avatar could speak with his past lives but had Roku appeared before this group. How did they know it was Roku? There were mischievous spirits which could deceive people like that.

"I thought his name was Aang." Whispered Jin. Toph head her and shook her head. If Breezy, Uncle, and Tea Bender were going to be staying for a while then they needed to be more in the loop.

"That's the Avatar before Aang. He can talk to his past lives like that. It's cool and freaky at the same time." Said Toph. Lee and Jin looked at each other. Jin wondered why his past lives didn't just teach him bending and Lee wondered what it was like to be able to talk to dead people. It would have made Uncle Mushi happy if he could talk to his son.

"I don't want to take out the Fire Lord! I never wanted to!" said Aang suddenly. Everyone stared at him. What exactly did he think they meant by the whole defeat the Fire Lord thing?

"You could break his arms and legs so he can't bend." Said Jin thinking practically. It was cruel for force a little boy like him to fight. He still wasn't alright from what happened. If that was her little brother or her son she'd be hiding him so that he could grow up and face these things when he was ready.

"What?" said Lee. Jin wasn't usually this…violent. He supposed it would work if they wanted to incapacitate him without killing still sounded cruel and painful but a lot better then murder.

"If he can't bend then he can't be Fire Lord." Said Toph. Iroh rubbed his temples. Ozai had made that decree when Azula started throwing sparks at three years old and it didn't look like Zuko would be a bender. It looked like it would be coming back to bite him. Still, there would be some people that were still loyal to his brother after this and civil war could break out if Ozai could start one. Not to mention the damage that Azula could do.

"Can't you just follow him around for the rest of his life and chi-block him?" asked Aang. Ty-Lee shrugged. She could do that but she could also eat a bug, that didn't mean she would. First of all she had other things to do with her life. Places to see people to meet. She knew how to permanently destroy a person's chi pathways. She knew how to theoretically. It was dangerous and could kill a person. She had never learned because she knew Azula would ask her to do it.

"No, I have a life of my own and I don't plan on following Azula's crazy father around until one of us dies. I could maybe permanently chi-block him but it's very dangerous. I don't even know how to beyond the theory." Said Ty-Lee. She knew the theory but she had never actually done it before. That way when Azula asked her if she could she could truthfully say she couldn't.

"Well then can you teach me?" asked Aang. Ty-Lee looked thoughtful for a moment. She wasn't supposed to teach chi-blocking to anyone. She wasn't even supposed to be out of the fire nation. Her family was one of few which had passed this art down their line to serve the fire lord. That was why she looked so much like her sisters and like no one else in their Fire Nation. Well, it was kind of like serving the Fire Nation is she helped get rid of the Fire Lord because he was crazy. Sure, she'd teach him.

"Sure." Said Ty-Lee. Aang looked overjoyed. He didn't have to kill the Fire Lord! He could just permanently take away his bending! He didn't even have to break the Fire Lord's arms and legs! He rushed over and hugged Ty-Lee. He then realized that she had a broken arm, cracked ribs, and a numerous other injuries.

"Sorry." Said Aang. He didn't mean to hurt his new teacher. She was proof that there was good in almost everyone. He knew that they had wanted to leave her in Ba Sing Se and he was glad they didn't. she was on their side now. Everything was great!

Eventually they settled down to a dinner of wild root vegetables and an animal Sokka had caught. After much arguing Aang backed down and let Jin have all the meat she wanted. Her baby needed all the food it could get.

"We should all join the circus. It could be fun." Said Aang loudly and suddenly. Everyone stared at him. Then at Ty-Lee who looked overjoyed. Then at each other. Iroh pinched the bridge of his nose.

"When the war's over we can do whatever we want." Said Sokka. He did not just suggest that they abandon all their plans and preparations to join the circus. Jin and Lee exchanged a look. The living incarnation of the spirit of the world just suggested running away and joining the circus. That put the last dollop of frosting on the crazy cake.

"When the war's over I'm going back to the Earth Rumble's. I've got to defend my title." Said Toph. She stomped for emphasis and the ground shook.

"When the war's over I'm going back home to the circus." Said Ty-Lee. Or when the Avatar learned chi-blocking, whichever came first.

"When the war's over I'm going back to Ba Sing Se and finding my mother. She deserves to see little Teiji or Honora." Said Jin patting her stomach. She show her mother her air bending and her apartment in the upper ring and rub it in her face. That is if she could find her mother.

"She's missing?" asked Katara. She could sort of sympathize with Jin. When she lost her mother she had been devastated. At least Jin still had a chance at finding hers.

"She threw me out one day and then moved. She didn't even tell anyone where she was going." Said Jin. That part still hurt. Was she really such a terrible person to live with? Uncle Mushi and Lee certainly didn't seem to think so.

"She just threw you out on the streets?" asked Katara. What kind of a mother could be so cruel. No wonder Jin had been with Zuko, she didn't have anywhere else to go. Jin took Lee's hand.

"Right afterwards Lee asked me to marry him and here we are." Said Jin patting her stomach for emphasis. Lee began to turn pink. The world didn't need to know these deep personal things. Uncle Mushi was giving him the "We are going to have a long and awkward talk" look.

"He asked you to marry him, just like that? Girls like that?" said Aang looking at Katara. That seemed kind of sudden for him but he didn't know anything about marriage. Gyatso said that ground dwelling people got married because they didn't have a big air nomad family to take care of them. The ground dweller families needed more workers and people to keep them going.

"Girls don't like it when you play around with them. You have to be direct so they know you're serious." Said Sokka in his best manly voice. Aang had let go of Katara but he still loved her. He was willing to get married for her partially because it would make her happy and partially because there wasn't a big air nomad family anymore. Well, unless you counted Zuko and Jin but one air bender and a baby who might not be wasn't exactly a big air bender family.

"Well, Lee asked me if I wanted to live with him and that's pretty much the same thing." Said Jin. Uncle Mushi was pinching the bridge of his nose and exhaling deeply. She knew they were kind of young but she and Lee were very mature.

"Well, now I know how this happened." Said Iroh. He was glad that his nephew was finding happiness but a man didn't start his family until he was wise enough and old enough to take care of a wife and bring another human being into the world. Age didn't always come with wisdom but his nephew was lacking in both departments. The benders of Sozin's line lived too long to rush into things.

"How it happened…" chuckled Sokka under his breath. Katara elbowed him in the ribs. They were going to be mature about this. At first she wasn't sure about their baby. She had been taught that people were only supposed to be with people of their own nation but now she saw how they loved each other. Even brainwashed and possibly secretly evil people loved their families.

"How did it happen?" asked Aang. Silence gripped them all. Suddenly, wild plant and meat stew was the most interesting thing in the world. Aang wasn't happy about not being told. He was expected to master all four elements and defeat the fire lord but nobody would tell him how Jin got a baby in her stomach. All monk Gyatso said was that it was a beautiful thing that he was too young to do and therefore too young to know about. He didn't know any girls he could ask either.

"I'll tell you, Twinkletoes." Said Toph. She pulled Aang close and whispered her rather limited understanding of it. Aang backed away in horror. That sounded…well pretty gross actually. He could see why most people only did that once a year in the spring festival.

"What'd she say?" asked Sokka. Aang leaned in close and whispered to Sokka what Toph had told him. Sokka shook his head.

"You're close. Here's what really happens." Said Sokka. He leaned in close and whispered to Aang all the many grown up secrets of how the species continued. Aang looked a little less horrified and Toph smacked herself in the forehead. Well, how was she supposed to know. She got the rocking back and forth thing right at least. It wasn't like anyone had described it to her in detail.

"Wow. Well, now I know why people only did that once a year." Said Aang. Jin looked horrified. She didn't want to be an Air Nomad nun. She'd be an air…Earth Kingdom… Jin person. Not an Air Nomad nun though. Some things a person just couldn't give up.

"That's horrible." Said Ty-Lee. No wonder they got wiped out so easily. Who would have much will to live after living like that?

"Why? Doing…that sounds really gross. It's easier just to have a festival once a year. All the older monks and nuns would go to the eastern and southern or northern and western air temples depending on who's turn it was and then they'd have a festival and send all us little kids away with the really old monks and nuns. Then in the fall a lot of babies would come." Said Aang. Everyone stared at him. was that what Aang meant when he said he wanted to continue the air benders…? Well, obviously he didn't know what he was talking about. Wait, then how did people tell who their parents and siblings were?

"How could people tell who their parents were?" asked Katara picturing…horrible things…like three armed babies. Aang shrugged.

"I guess they separated family member when they told people which temple to go to. They could probably tell babies by which nun they came from and which monk she said blessed her." said Aang. Everyone was silent. Maybe it was better that some traditions stayed in the temples.

"So…let's practice some air bending tomorrow." Said Jin taking everyone's mind off how, exactly, new air benders got there. Everyone began to nod in agreement. Lee felt like he wanted to melt into the ground. He never wanted to have a campfire discussion of human reproduction again. When it came time to tell his children he'd buy them books and leave them discretely on their beds or something.

"Sure, you did a leaf in the wind pretty well. Tomorrow I'll show you how to make an air scooter." Said Aang. Katara wondered if zipping around, and probably falling off of, an air scooter would be dangerous to her. She was only two or three months along, it shouldn't have been that dangerous towards the baby. Still, Katara would have more piece of mind if they at least learned some basic forms before doing the flashy stuff.

"Maybe you two should work on the basics, first." Said Katara. Toph nodded in agreement. If it were up so her she'd send Jin out into the middle of a storm or high winds at least and have her stay there until she could bend them in the other direction. Well, she was kind of thinking like an earth bender there. Maybe Jin could learn from Appa. She learned from badger moles and they were the original earth benders.

"Alright Katara, good thinking. I'll teach her the basics really fast then we'll have an air scooter race." said Aang. Aang began to plan all the fun things they could do together. They could play air ball! He could make her a glider! This was great. He had a way to defeat the Fire Lord without killing him. Zuko, Zuko's uncle, Jin, and Ty-Lee were both on his side. He wasn't even the last air bender anymore! When Jin's kids were born he'd teach them air bending too. everything was great!

Eventually they all winded down and prepared for bed. Toph slept in an earth tent after assuring Jin that she was perfectly comfortable. Luckily Sokka still had his and Katara's sleeping bags safely tucked away on Appa and unhurt in the fight. Aang simply curled up on Appa like he usually did. Jin was going to have to ask him to teach her how he managed to air bend himself warm even in his sleep. Lee and his small family slept under extra blankets in Appa's saddle with Ty-Lee a little ways off from them. it was a calm and peaceful night. Everyone but Katara eventually dozed off, their bodies realizing how little sleep they had been running on.

Katara crept silently out of her sleeping bag when she was sure everyone was asleep. Especially Toph. She didn't want to answer awkward questions about what she was doing and why. She just needed to see. It wasn't that she didn't trust Toph's judgment it was just that she needed to see for herself. She swiftly and silently climbed onto Appa and into the saddle. She was careful not to wake anyone. She pulled left over water from the cooking pot Toph had bent from some metal they had found most likely from previous campers, Katara would never get used to meal bending. She pooled the water around her hands and her face was illuminated but a healing blue light. She felt Zuko's temples. The storm of his mind was much quitter and all the edges were gone. He had been mind bent just like Jet. No, he had new ideas implanted but he wasn't as…gone…as Jet had been. She felt bad about the way she treated him. She went over and checked the old Uncle. He seemed perfectly fine. That was suspicious. Leave the uncle who she knew to be an old general and go for the kid. Something was up.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Your reviews continue to be appreciated. I have now finalized the names for their future children and your input has been very useful.

Lee had woken up at dawn as usual. For a moment he hadn't known where he was but then it all came back to him. He watched Jin sleeping next to him. She looked so utterly perfect curled up next to him, her brown hair pooling around her. He would have been content to watch her sleep the day away but he had to help find food. Hmm…if only he had a proper tea pot and his selection of fine teas. He served tea, that's what he did.

"Morning Uncle Mushi." Said Lee as he climbed down from the bison carefully as not to wake Aang. Uncle Mushi looked like he was praying to the spirits again and hadn't heard him

"Morning Lee." Said Katara. She hadn't been able to sleep properly that night. She couldn't believe how cruel she had been. It was because she was sacred, tired, and had almost died. She needed to make it up to him. Lee seemed like a nice guy.

"Um…good morning?" said Lee. Why was she acting so nice all of a sudden? Was it the food he had foraged for yesterday? Uncle Mushi had said that the way to people's hearts was down their throats.

"So, I was going to go and find some food. You wanna come?" asked Katara trying to be friendly. He looked over at Jin. She needed to eat for two now.

"Um, alright I guess." Said Lee. Maybe they could get some fish with her water bending if they went to the small stream.

"Great." Said Katara. She needed to mend her bridges with him. Not only could he and his family be good allies but they could also be good friends. Yes, Lee was a nice guy and she could see being friends with him. They walked through the forest awkwardly.

"There's some good vegetables over there. I'm not really sure about the other plants." Said Lee. Katara nodded. She watched him intently. He wasn't acting like Zuko. He wasn't even walking like Zuko. What was that like, not being yourself? Not knowing who you were.

"So, um…you like tea?" said Katara as she dug out some vegetables. They were going to have to eat and leave. These weren't going to last long and they had to keep moving in case Azula was close.

"Love tea. Uncle Mushi says I didn't used to like tea but now I do. I'm a tea server and sometimes I brew. Uncle Mushi's much better than I am though. He's teaching Jin too, she's more interested in her bending than anything. Uncle Mushi taught her some fire bending forms and she can air bend with them. Maybe it's because air and fire need each other. I don't know. I'm really a very good bender. I guess I'm good at swords, I'm not sure when I learned it though. So, what about you?" babbled Lee. He didn't know what he was saying, he as just speaking to fill the silence.

"Um…I'm from the Southern Water Tribe and I'm the only bender there…I like tea alright I guess…I'm Aang's water bending teacher…um…how did you and Jin meet?" said Katara. She was trying to mend bridges but it was still strange to be here gathering food with Prince Zuko. Well, he was Lee now.

"I worked in Pao's tea shop and she started coming in a lot. She asked me out I accepted and a few weeks later we got married." Said Lee. Katara looked at him like he had just water bent. A few weeks? They must have really, really loved each other. Would Jin love Zuko like she loved Lee?

"You guys must really love each other." Said Katara. She did some mental math…or they had gotten married because of little Teiji or Honora. Le turned red. He knew how it sounded.

"Yeah, we do. Uncle Mushi approves even if he has…things to say…about how young we are." Said Lee. Accoridng to Uncle Mushi he was too young to be having kids. Uncle Mushi had been almost forty when his son was born. So what if people lived a long time? Did that mean he couldn't have kids with Jin until they were old?

"Well, how old are you?" asked Katara. Zuko looked like he was about her age. Jin looked a little younger than him. Lee shrugged.

"Sixteen almost seventeen." Said Lee. They had gathered enough food to last for a while, they must have been leaving soon. He didn't know how to feel about Katara. She wasn't calling him evil and making wild accusations that may or may not have been true but she was acting way too nice. Nice was good, he'd take that over hostility any day.

"I'm going to have to agree with Uncle Mushi on that. I'm almost fifteen and I can't see myself taking care of a baby." Said Katara. She had a vision of herself surrounded by wailing babies with blue arrows on their heads.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. Besides, Jin will make a good mother." Said Lee. They were walking down towards the small stream. Too small for bathing. He looked down at his filthy clothes. As soon as they got to Gaoling he and Jin were taking a bath.

"How do you know?" asked Katara. Lee expected her words to be filled with venom like they were before but she seemed genuinely curious. He attributed her behavior before from the fight and subsequent exhaustion.

"I just do." Said Lee. Katara began to water bend fish out of the stream. He was tempted to tell her that Jin couldn't eat fish but he didn't want to disturb the fragile and unexpected truce.

"I'm sorry, by the way. I was a jerk." Said Katara focusing on the stream. Lee shrugged.

"No, you were just exhausted and in shock. At least now you know I'm not that Zuko guy. I forgive you." Said Lee. Well, he wasn't anymore. From what he could remember he hadn't had a good life. His father had…hated him? For not being a good bender? Something like that, it was vague. He knew his father had burned half his face off. He didn't care if his kids ere benders or not. If they were even good at anything or not.

"Thank you." Said Katara. She looked at him, really looked at him. She had assumed that he had gotten that scar doing something evil but it wasn't a battle scar. It was…precise and done in close range. He hadn't made a move to defend himself. She wanted to ask about it but it might make him remember being Zuko. They didn't need that right then.

"So, is this enough food?" said Lee. She was staring at him. That was a lot like how Jin looked at him. Too much like how Jin looked at him.

"Right. Well, when we get back you can cook the fish and I'll make the vegetables for Aang and Jin. Some pregnant women can't have fish. You can imagine how well that goes in the water tribe." Said Katara. They got most of their food from the ocean but there were some other animals. Poor Amaka.

"Try most meat. This kid is gonna be a picky eater." Said Lee as they made their way back to the campsite. Everyone but Aang and Uncle Mushi, who looked like they were mediating, were asleep. They made the breakfast together until Ty Lee woke up. Katara felt bad and immediately went to work healing her. She could move now, that was good. She still had to take it easy though.

"Ty-Lee, you're up. Alright, teach me how to take away the Fire Lord's bending." Said Aang loudly. Sokka made an unhappy sound and scooted away in his sleeping bag. Ty-Lee had been trying to limber up, she didn't like to be all stiff, and didn't really appreciate the interruption. She needed to concentrate or she could pull something. Just because she made it look easy didn't mean it was.

"First I have to teach you easy chi-blocking or else you could kill him." said Ty-Lee and she crossed her legs behind her head. Lee turned his head. That didn't look right…or safe. Aang sat down next to her. that was so cool.

"Alright, teach me easy chi-blocking." Said Aang. Ty-Lee laid down on her stomach and put her feet on her shoulders. He needed to learn this soon. The Eclipse was coming and he needed to learn how to stop the Fire Lord.

"Ok, we need a test subject." Said Ty-Lee. She looked over at Sokka and flipped onto her feet. He'd be perfect. She crept quietly so she didn't wake Jin. Her aura was all yellow and relaxed. She couldn't see the baby's aura yet. She sat down onto top of Sokka.

"What are you doing?!" said Sokka. He felt a warm weight on him and opened his eyes. His blue eyes were met with a pair of bright grey eyes. Ty-Lee smiled. He'd be perfect…and he was super cute too! Sokka sat up suddenly in shock. She caught herself very gracefully for someone who just had so many breaks and fractures. Ty-Lee smiled through the pain. Just because she made it look easy didn't mean it was.

"Aang needs your help, cutie. Said Ty-Lee dragging him to his feet. Sokka fought half-heartedly, he was still half asleep. Aang wasn't sure about practicing chi-blocking on Sokka. He was his friend and couldn't bend anyway.

"But Sokka can't bend." Said Aang. Ty-Lee gave an exaggerated eye roll. She was coming back. She hadn't been particularly happy yesterday but now things were going great. She was free of her friend, had made new ones, and was going back to the circus.

"We're a long way off from cutting off bending. First you need to know where all the chi paths are." Said Ty-Lee trying to pull of Sokka's blue tunic. Normally, he'd be happy to show off his manly mussels but he didn't want to or agree to be their chi-blocking test subject.

"Can't you draw him a picture or something?" said Sokka. Ty-Lee had managed to wrestle his tunic off. Sokka saw Katara and Zuko in the background hiding their laughter. Even the old Uncle was cracking a smile. Toph was still sleeping.

"No, it has to be a real person." Said Ty-Lee as she cracked her knuckles. She hoped he was a fast learner, it took her years to master chi blocking. They couldn't just rush into this, it was delicate work. He could permanently paralyze someone if he did this wrong.

"Ok, so I just jab him…" said Aang making a small fist. Ty-Lee grabbed his hand with inhuman quickness. This was incredibly delicate. Aang just wanted to learn how to do that move so he could face the Fire Lord. He didn't have time to master all of chi blocking. There was a comet coming right after the eclipse. Time was a luxury they didn't have!

"No! First I'm going to show you all the chi pathways. Then you can try blocking them!" said Ty-Lee if he has succeeded jabbing him in the chi pathway so near his stomach Sokka would have thrown up among other things. Never near the vital organs.

"Alright. Teach away Sifu Ty-Lee." Said Aang. He got the feeling that he was about to do something dangerous. She proceeded to spend the morning showing him the chi pathways. Where to jab and where to never, ever, jab. He listened and watched her. She was pretty. Katara was pretty. Jin was pretty. Even Toph was pretty. Monk Gyatso had warned him about this. This was why he didn't visit the girl's temples and none of his friends from the other nations were girls.

"Are you listening?" asked Ty-Lee. She needed him to learn this. The basics were important if he was so spirit bent on not killing anyone. Well, he was just a kid and it wasn't really fair to ask him to face the Fire Lord in the first place.

"Yeah, I'm listening." Said Aang. Sifu Ty-Lee didn't look convinced. Grey eyes locked with his. She had really pretty grey eyes.

"Can I go now? I'm hungry." Said Sokka. He was tired of standing there with his shirt off waiting to be jabbed. Couldn't they have used Zuko…Lee…for this? At least he was a bender. If Aang was going to learn to take someone's bending permanently away then learning on a bender would be best.

"Just a little longer, cutie." Said Ty-Lee. Sokka blushed. He was involved with Suki. Ty-Lee was kinda pretty though. There were lots of pretty girls in the world, he liked Suki!

"Why can't Lee do this? At least he's a bender!" said Sokka loudly. Jin began to stir and Lee made frantic motions for him to quiet down. Jin was sleeping for two now.

"We all use our chi, not just benders. There's chi flowing through our bodies in the same way all the time. Some people use it to bend. Some people use it with weapons and art and dancing. You can block it off so they can't bend again but you have to be careful so they can still function." Said Ty-Lee. It was very delicate work. The main chi path had to be open enough so the person could still walk and talk and breath but closed off for bending and other things.

"So Sokka's like a boomerang bender?" asked Aang. Everyone laughed quietly as not to wake Jin. Katara knew that she'd need her rest if she was going to learn as much of air bending as she coud before they go to Gaoling. Well, when they were dropped off near Gaoling in the dead of night so word couldn't reach Toph's parents that she was near the city.

"Exactly. Now for our first exercise I'm going to have you paralyze Sokka's arms." Said Ty-Lee. Aang wasn't sure about that. He wished he had been listening more carefully. He took a deep breath and jabbed the appropriate chi pathway. Sokka's arm fell limply at his sides. A sudden panick gripped Aang. He had hurt Sokka. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He was out of the clearing and Ty-Lee chased after him.

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" said Aang. Memories of what had happen before filled his mind. He could still see the red on the sand. He didn't want to hurt anyone ever again. He curled up on the ground and Ty-Lee sat next to him.

"The point of chi blocking is not to hurt anyone." Said Ty-Lee. She already explained that it was temporary and harmless. There were much worse ways to incapacitate someone.

"But…Sokka…" said Aang. He knew that it was temporary. He didn't know what came over him. He was trying to forget what happened when they fought Azula and the Dai Li. He never wanted to hurt anyone again. He had to restore balance to the world. Not take people off of it.

"I told you it would wear off." said Ty-Lee. She pulled him closer to her. He was just a kid who needed to be comforted. He wasn't a soldier to keep a stiff upper lip and keep going. He was just a kid and he had been through a lot. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to wake up after hundred years and find her entire world changed and her people gone.

"I-I just don't want to hurt anyone else. I killed all those people." Cried Aang into her shoulder. She rubbed his back. He had to let out the negativity so the positivity could come in. Aang wanted Katara. He should never have let go of her.

"Can you bring them back to life? Is that one of you Avatar powers?" said Ty Lee. Aang pushed himself away from her. what kind of a question was that?!

"Of course not!" said Aang. If he could he would bring everyone who died at the temples back to life. Back to life in new bodies of course. He had seen a few sky burials and he didn't like it. Dead people were just too…dead.

"Then why are you beating yourself up? What's done is done. You can make amends and get on with your life or you can let the past drag you down into madness. You can make amends for them by stopping the war or you can sit here on the dirty ground crying about things you can't change." Said Ty-Lee. Aang looked at her for a while.

"You're right, I can stop the war. I can make sure nobody ever gets hurt again." Said Aang. Ty-Lee wanted to tell him that since he was only the human host for the spirit of the world he couldn't possibly exist in all time and stop all human suffering but she felt that would be counterproductive.

"That's the spirit. You won't be alone either. Everyone's going to help you." Said Ty-Lee. He shouldn't have to do it alone. She had seen firsthand what impossible expectations did to people. Poor Azula. Poor Zuko. He'd probably be a better father than his was.

"I don't want them to get hurt either. I can't…I can't let her go…" said Aang. Ty-Lee cocked a brown eyebrow. She wished she had a Wang Fire beard and book. He was a good head doctor.

"Who?" asked Ty-Lee. He didn't need to do this alone. It was too big for one person even if they could go all glowing. Sure, he might be able to destroy the entire citadel then but the mental suffering could break him.

"I-I met this Guru, Guru Pathnik, and he said that if I wanted to master the Avatar State I would have to let go of Katara. I couldn't. When I did I went into the Avatar State and all that happened." Said Aang. Ty-Lee pulled him close. It was so adorable; he had a little crush on Katara.

"You can still love her; you just can't let her hold you back. He probably meant that you had to separate your feeling for her from you duties as the Avatar. Don't worry, you don't have to live a life of celibacy." Said Ty-Lee. Aang felt better. That had made sense. He wanted it to. So he could love Katara but he still had to be the Avatar and do his Avatar thing without worrying about her. He could do that.

"Alright, let's get some breakfast." Said Ty-Lee. This was way too philosophical for this early in the morning. Aang hugged her and blushed when he touched her bare stomach.

"Alright. Hey Ty-Lee, what's celibacy mean?" asked Aang. Ty-Lee remembered the awkward conversation from the night before. Someone else could handle this.

"Ask Katara." Said Ty-Lee. She was not having this conversation with him. When they got to the camp Aang saw that Jin was waking up and rushed over to her. Air bending time!

"Good morning!" said Aang as he saw Jin wake up. He had been up for a while and was waiting for her to wake up. Ty-Lee was still to hurt show him chi blocking but she could tell him about it. He had managed to take away the use of Sokka's arms before Sokka had enough.

"Out of my way!" said Jin as she rushed past him. Teiji or Honora didn't like stew. This baby didn't seem to like any sort of meat or fish. Aang felt hurt and wanted to follow her but he was stopped by the sound of retching.

"Maybe it's an air bender since they're vegetarians." Said Jin as she went through the morning stomach cleansing ritual. She thought it sounded funnier in her head. The healer said it would go away once she got bigger. Lee came over and rubbed her back. He hated seeing her suffering like that.

"Alright, we'll start when you're done." Said a still pretty happy Aang from a safe distance. Lee held her hair back; this kid was going to be a picky eater. He wished he still had that tea that helped Jin keep food down.

"Aang, let her eat something first." Said Katara. She had found a stream and gotten some fish out as well as some more root vegetables for Aang and Jin. She was going to be nice. She needed to be nice. She felt bad about what she had done. Poor Zuko, even he didn't deserve it. They had gotten to talking and he was sort of a nice guy. He was very devoted to his family and excited at the prospect of being a father and having a tea shop. She was torn between wanting to help him and wanting him not to be a threat anymore. There was also Jin and the baby to think about.

"Morning everyone." Said Lee as he and Jin joined the group for breakfast. He wasn't going to eat without his family. Sokka was attempting to eat with his feet for some odd reason, he could have just waited for the feeling to come back in his arms. Lee shrugged, he'd have to get used to these people. He saw Jin flinch when Katara came near but she simply handed them some breakfast.

"Hope you like fish, Lee." Said Katara. Lee nodded slowly. This was…odd. Maybe she finally believed him. Hopefully. They had a very good morning so he was feeling optimistic. Jin gave her a dark look. Why was she suddenly being so friendly with Lee? She never should have slept in.

"Fish…anything but fish…" said Jin her stomach rebelling. This baby didn't like fish. He or she had made themselves perfect clear the first time. Then and all subsequent times. They liked bland foods and tea. They'd be little tea servers like their dad.

"Here, I got some vegetables for you and Aang." Said Katara as she handed Jin some cleaned and boiled root vegetables. Jin's stomach thanked her. Uncle Mushi put a pot of tea down next to them. Toph had earth bent it from clay and Uncle Mushi had baked it. Earth benders and fire benders needed to work together like that more often instead of fighting. They could make some really nice tea pots.

"Thank you." Said Jin. Why was she being so nice? Was she planning on throwing them off the bison later? No, she wasn't that kind of crazy. Hopefully she had come to her senses. If she didn't Jin would have to blow her off the bison. Well, maybe nothing so drastic.

"So, first I'm going to teach you how to make a ball out of air and then you just jump on it and ride it." Said Aang eating quickly. He couldn't wait to get started! She wouldn't be there for very long and he had to teach her all he could. Then he'd teach her kids and the kids he had with Katara and any other air benders they could find.

"What about the basics?" asked Toph finally waking up and deciding to join them for breakfast. If something didn't have a good foundation it would collapse. Aang shrugged.

"Alright, we'll go over those really quick then we'll make air scooters." Said Aang finishing his food in record time. Iroh gave a long suffering sigh. Judging by the tattoos he was a twelve year old air bending master. The problem with masters was that they became set in their ways, he valued Jin's adapting air bending to fire and earth bending forms.

"Aang, not everyone's an air bending master at twelve." Said Katara. Everyone nodded. Aang felt bad. He was very eager to pass on air bending to Jin. He waited until she was finished and he cleared a space for them to practice.

"Alright, first you need to be able to move air." Said Aang. Jin nodded and took a fire bending stance. She threw her herself forward, kicked, and turned. A strong gust of air almost knocked Aang over. Good power, but not nearly precise enough.

"How was that?" said Jin. She thought it was good, he almost fell over and he was a master air bender. Aang didn't want to make her feel bad but she'd bend better if she didn't move like a fire bender.

"You need to flow with the air when you move. Fire benders move with too much control. You need to be one with the wind." Said Aang creating a controlled gust of wind. Jin held her tunic dress down, dirt assaulted her sense.

"Alright, like this?" asked Jin imitating Aang. She did it well but she wasn't moving with the wind. She didn't see what the problem was, the air moved just as well for her as it did for him. Aang wanted her to master did but it was good enough. When the war was over he'd teach her all the way. If she just got it, but not perfectly, they could go faster.

"You're getting it. Alright, now here's how you make the air ball." Said Aang. He did the long sweeping motion to gather the air and continue to move to keep its shape. Jin watched him and decided to try it like the upper class earth bender girls did. She swirled the air around her hands like earth and made a tightly compacted ball. Iroh watched in fascination. The Air bending forms were so similar yet so different. He had seen pictures in historical texts but it was nothing compared to seeing it in person.

"You've got to flow with the air. You don't dominate it, it's your partner." Said Aang. Jin tried to do it the way he did. It seemed like too many superfluous movements to her but he was the master.

"Can we make other shapes with the air?" asked Jin. She moved her arms and formed the air into a wall. She threw it and Aang didn't have time to stop it. It hit him like a solid wall. Jin began to panic.

"What was that?" asked Aang rubbing his aching head. That was an earth bending move but it worked. Jin knelt next to him.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if I could make other shapes. I didn't know it was that strong a wind." said a frantic Jin. She had hurt the Avatar. What if he had permanent damage now? Thankfully he looked alright.

"You made it all…solid." Said Aang. Wow. Jin felt bad. She should have stuck to air bending forms. Now she hurt the Avatar. She hoped that his group didn't hate her again.

"I'm sorry." Said Jin. Aang pushed himself up with air bending. He was a little sore but not hurt in any serious way. He'd have to refine it but that could be a new air bending form. Jin hoped that he wasn't mad at her. Who else would teach her air bending?

"It's alright. That was pretty neat. Let's get back to the air scooter now." Said Aang. He made a ball of air again and so did Jin. He jumped on it and began to zip around their campsite. Jin tried and fell. She tried again and fell again. Eventually she managed to ride it for a few seconds before it dissipated. She was too used to earth and fire bending forms.

"I can't do it! Why can't I do it!" said Jin angrily. She threw her arms down and sent herself sailing into the air. Lee ran and tried to catch her. Aang launched himself into the air and caught her.

"We'll try again later. Don't worry, I didn't get earth bending at first." Said Aang as he let down. Lee rushed over and made sure she was alright. Even if she wasn't pregnant that didn't look safe.

"What did you do?" asked Jin. Aang shrugged. Toph laughed silently to herself. She had been watching the entire thing with her feet. She didn't move like Twinkletoes; if anything she moved like a fire bender.

"I fought a saber tooth moose-lion." Said Aang. Jin and Lee exchanged a look. No, just no. Aang let his words sit for a while. Yeah, that did sound too dangerous for a pregnant woman. Maybe some kind of vegetarian giant animal. She could learn from Appa!

"Any other ideas?" asked Lee. He wasn't going to have Jin fight any giant carnivorous animals. Baby or not he didn't want her to get hurt. Jin didn't want to do the air scooter. She wasn't a failure like her mother said. She'd just try it again later. Or never.

"You could learn from Appa!" said Aang. Everyone agreed that it was a good idea. Toph was the greatest earth bender in the world and she had learned from badger moles. She was blind so they blindfolded Jin. They practiced other forms and Jin learned an amount of control when she threw air. She had just started to learn to control the air currents around her when Toph felt something big and metal coming.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Once again I would like to thank you all for you reviews. Also, I'm working on the two lines no waiting structure. Usually it's everyone gets crammed into one line but I'm beginning to see it not working out so well here. Also, Aang took it as he had to permanently let go of Katara because he does tend to go to extremes. He's only twelve after all.

"Stay and sink it!" said Lee. This was earth and there were two earth benders. If they were being followed by Fire Nation war machines it was the princess and she was lethal. He didn't want to hurt her, he didn't know why she had tried to kill him, but he had to stop her.

"No, they'll die!" said Aang as he ran over to Appa. No more death. Lee ran a hand through his shaggy hair and pulled Jin with them. They didn't have to die; they could just end up maimed or seriously injured.

"Fly towards the mountains!" said Uncle Mushi. Aang nodded and the bison lifted off the ground. Ty-Lee stayed low in the saddle, no use to have Azula seeing her with the Avatar's group. Lee held onto Jin, this was both exhilarating and terrifying. They flew faster and faster until the tank thing was out of sight.

"We shouldn't have stayed camped there for so long." Said Sokka. Toph nodded as she clung to the saddle for dear life. They were too close to the city. It was a wonder Azula hadn't found them sooner.

"What's done is done and we can only move forward." Said Aang. Ty-Lee had a good philosophy. Instead of beating themselves up they could put some distance between them and Azula. Jin wanted to just get to Gaoling and hide out until the war was over. They had a good plan, attack when the Fire Nation was powerless and take away the Fire Lord's bending, they just needed to wait for the eclipse.

"Is this the way to Gaoling? We're not going in a straight line are we?" asked Lee. He partially wanted to get life back to normal and partially didn't want to lead Azula in a straight line to them. They could lose her over the mountains but after that they needed to head south. After they had gone south they should jump around between the small islands near the poles before heading towards Gaoling.

"Not really a straight line but it's the right direction." Said Sokka pulling out a map. If they stopped by Gaoling they couldn't stay for long. They'd have to fly fast to make it to the rendezvous point.

"We should move around so they don't figure out where we're going and meet us there." Said Lee. He crawled over to the map and traced a path for them to take. It was enough to turn their pursuers in circles trying to predict them and very far away from the denser Fire Nation territory.

"Good thinking, nephew." Said Iroh. That was a Zuko move, Lee didn't know anything about strategy. He was slowly but surely becoming Zuko again. He was happy as Lee but it wasn't a true happiness. He worried for Jin and their child though. Zuko wouldn't leave them, he was more honorable than that.

"Next time we should at least disable the tank if we see it. Toph, you can metal bend, right? I heard you were the greatest earth bender in the world." Said Jin buttering Toph up. She didn't want to put a little girl into battle but if she could maybe tare through the tank like wet paper it didn't necessarily have to kill people.

"We shouldn't make that known until the eclipse. There's still time that they can change their defenses." Said Lee. He couldn't let the enemy know their secrets or they'd just build a better lizard-mouse trap.

"I doubt wooden weapons would go over well in the Fire Nation." Said Sokka sarcastically. Iroh watched his nephew. So, he had taken the lectures about thinking things through to heart. He looked over at Jin. He couldn't have listened sooner.

"Maybe a really pure metal. Metal is just refined Earth, I bend the impurities in it." Said Toph. She hadn't encountered a metal yet she couldn't bend but some were more difficult than others. If anyone could find a metal she couldn't bend it would be the Fire Nation.

"Alright, no metal bending. Aang, next time we land you're working on more chi blocking. You have to get as much of this as humanly possible if you want to stop the Fire Lord without killing him." said Sokka. They had wasted too much time in Ba Sing Se; Aang still wasn't an earth bending master and he didn't know any fire bending. He would have preferred for Aang not to learn it but if for some reason they ran out of time it was good for Aang to at least know the forms.

"But I'm busy teaching Jin air bending." Said Aang. He also didn't want to hurt Sokka again. It had worn off but it was still scary how he had taken away the use of Sokka's arms with just a series of jabs.

"It's alright. You can teach me later." Said Jin being diplomatic. Defeating the fire lord was a little more important than teaching her. She at least had a grasp on it form practicing on her own but Aang couldn't exactly chi-block himself.

"But we're dropping you off in Gaoling." Said Aang. Katara gave a long suffering sigh reminiscent of Iroh. Aang needed to get his priorities straight.

"Aang, when the war is over you'll have all the time in the world to teach Jin. Right now we're on a deadline. We have an eight minute window to defeat the Fire Lord and I doubt he'll go down easily." Said Katara. He might not even need his bending to fight, Ty-Lee and the other girl sure didn't need bending. Sokka could handle himself with weapons just fine too.

"Fine, if you say so Katara." Said Aang. He didn't want to argue with Katara. Right now he was unattached from her. When this was all over he'd have to tell Guru Pathnik to be more specific about these things. He thought he had to give up Katara forever.

"We need to land." Said Jin. Ah yes, something else all the literature said would get better when she got bigger. She needed to watch her water intake. Lee was glad he was physically incapable of bearing children. He didn't know how Jin put up with it.

"Why?" asked Aang. He couldn't see the tank behind them anymore since Appa was flying pretty fast but he'd rather play it safe. Katara was motioning for him to land Appa.

"In my experience if a pregnant woman tells you to do something you should do it." Said Iroh. She needed to be in a house with proper everything. Camping couldn't have been easy on her. Lee was worried about Jin. She needed to be in a house with proper food and beds and bathrooms and places for her to put her feet up.

"Was your wife like this when she was pregnant?" asked Lee quietly. He wanted to know if this was normal more than anything. He had read everything he could get his hands on and most of it had scared him. People had been reproducing for thousands of years and yet so many things could still go wrong.

"Much worse, but she was much older." Said Iroh. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for Jin but he wasn't exactly happy for Jin. He wasn't upset with her but they could have done without this. Still, a child was a blessing. Aang shrugged and landed Appa. Jin ran off the saddle and into the woods like she was on fire. Toph made her feet watch very carefully. She didn't feel anything aside from the group and the wild life.

"If she had to go to the little nun's room she should have just said so. I almost kept flying." Said Aang. Wow, that could have been bad. Ty-Lee giggled as she did a few stretches. Aang watched her, that was amazing. He didn't know people could wrap their legs around themselves like that.

"It might go away when she gets bigger. All the literature said that things get better when she gets bigger. Well, her feet will get much bigger and she'll be hungrier but she's eating for two." Said Lee as he waited for Jin. He felt oddly…impatient. He pushed that from his mind. He could never be impatient with the person he loved.

"Then when the baby get here it'll all get much worse. Trust me, lots of babies born in the tribe. I don't really remember when Katara was born but I do know they cry. A lot. And eat. A lot." Said Sokka. He wasn't having any little Sokka's for a long time. He held back laughter as he imagined little Zuko's running around.

"Technically it's here, just really small and undeveloped." Said Katara. Jin came back and they all began to get back onto Appa. Jin felt a little embarrassed at making them all stop but it would have been worse if they had kept flying. She only had the one outfit she was wearing.

"I know taking care of Teiji or Honora won't be easy but I'll be a good father and Jin will be a good mother. I'll love them and support them and teach them to make tea." Said Lee. He was going to be a better father than his was. He would never burn any of his kids, no matter how badly they embarrassed him.

"How do you know you'll be a good father if you've never done it before?" said Aang. That seemed like something people needed to be taught. How could someone just know how to be a good parents. Taking care of Appa was hard enough, he couldn't imagine taking care of a little Aang.

"I just know I will. I get the feeling that my father wasn't a very good one and Jin's mother threw he rout of the house. We just won't make the same mistakes our parents did. I'll be like Uncle Muhshi, he's like a father to me." Said Lee. Iroh was touched. Zuko had been like a second son to him. He wanted to believe that it was Zuko who said that and not Lee. Would it really be so bad to leave his nephew as Lee…? He banished that thought as soon as it occurred to him.

"How many kids are you guys going to have?" asked Katara. She wasn't just making conversation, she was genuinely curious and also a bit worried. Lee knew he was a fire bender so it wouldn't surprise him if his kids were but the rest of the world might not be so accepting. The more kids they had the more of a chance they could be fire benders. They could even have earth benders since Jin was part earth kingdom part air nomad.

"We don't know. We'll see how it goes." Said Jin. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go through this again. It would nice to have a little girl though and she ought to give Lee a son. A son which they would not be naming Lee. There were a million Lee's…maybe that's why the Dai Li picked it. She banished those thoughts from her mind. He had decided that he wasn't going to be whoever he was and he was going to be Lee. Considering the fact that his father had burned half his face off he might not have had a very good life to go back to.

"You'll have to have a lot of babies to repopulate the air nomads." Said Aang. Better them then him. At least the awful truth was better than what Toph had told him. it was still pretty gross though. Besides, if Jin was an air bender than there might have been others in the world. He didn't care if he had to examine every single person on the planet he'd find his people.

"Well, at least he stopped talking about me and him repopulating the air nomads." Said Jin gratefully. Lee nodded. If Aang was older he would have taken it the wrong way but he was just a kid and he hadn't known what he was saying. It had made him very, very mad. He didn't like to be mad; Lee was a very peaceful person but the other him evidently hadn't been. Maybe he had been a soldier, he knew a lot about planning and strategy.

"Ugh; that's gross. I'd never do that with you." Said Aang. Everyone gave him a look and he realized how badly that had come out.

"Avatar Aang, you continue to be the model of manners and decorum." Said Lee sarcastically. Aang turned red and began to stutter. He wished he was a time bender, then he could go back and warn his past self not to say that. Also, that'd be really, really useful.

"I mean I'm sure lots and lots of people would want to do that with you. Lee did so that's something." Said Aang. Hit herself on the forehead with an exaggerated sigh. Iroh chuckled.

"There exists an expression; when you find yourself in a hole stop digging." said Iroh. Lee nodded in agreement. Was there a one awkward conversation a day quota with this group?

"Well uh…let's talk about something else. Anything else. Hey! Look at that cloud! It looks like…a fish." Said Aang trying desperately to change the topic of conversation. He wished he had never known the awful truth. He was content in thinking that spirits planted seeds in bearing nuns after every festival and the monks blessed the seeds so they'd grow into babies even though he hadn't believed that since he was five.

"That one looks like a platypus-bear fighting an octopus." Said Toph pointing off into some vague direction. Lee knew better than to look while everyone else was.

"I may have forgotten a lot but I haven't forgotten that you're blind." Said Lee. Toph gave him a playful kick. He was alright.

"Do you remember anything about your old life?" asked Katara. She feared that he'd suddenly remember he was Prince Zuko and try and capture Aang for his stupid honor. She was starting to like Lee. He was an alright guy. Kind, polite, courteous, loving, devoted, not at all like Zuko was.

"Not much and nothing good. I'm just going to be Lee." Said Lee. Uncle Mushi didn't look well. Iroh suddenly felt like the bison had turned upside down with them on it. He had considered that his nephew had been incapable of remembering who he was, not that he was actively trying not to.

"Uncle Mushi, are you alright?" said Jin. Sometimes she forgot how old he was. All of this running around and flying couldn't have been good for him.

"I'm alright, just a bit air sick." Said Iroh. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. He looked over at Katara. She had healing abilities. He would have preferred a master healer with more experience, the mind was the most delicate part of the body, but now drastic actions would have to be taken.

"Do you want me to land?" asked Aang. He didn't want anything to happen to the old Uncle. He was wise and nice. They had been flying for a while, it was after noon now. They could use a food break.

"If it isn't too much trouble." Said Iroh. He needed Katara away from the others and ask her to mind heal his nephew. It could be dangerous if Zuko became at war with himself in that way. He could go into a spiritual fever that would only break when one of his personalities won. He should never have assumed that Zuko wouldn't want to be himself again. If he hadn't there wouldn't have been this risk. Why exactly would he want to be Zuko again? Exiled by his father and sent on an impossible task to win the love of a man who had wanted him…taken care of…when he didn't show signs of bending at a normal age…Iroh wouldn't want that.

"C'mon, we'll have another lesson." Said Ty-Lee as they made their descent. She had to try and teach Aang as much as possible as soon as possible. Hmm…General Iroh's aura had gone all stormy. She didn't see what the problem was. If Zuko didn't want to be Zuko then fine. Why would anyone want to be Zuko?

"I'll go look for food and water." Said Toph. She could feel a source of water not that far from them. She could also feel what felt like vegetables in the ground. Still no people aside from them. She stomped her feet hard onto the ground. There was a town a ways away. They could stock up on supplies.

"I'll go with you." Said Katara. Iroh grabbed her arm and pretended to look faint. He needed to talk to her away from the others. Zuko couldn't go on like that. He didn't want her to bring all of his memories out at once; that would be like throwing a freezing man into a boiling hot bath, he just wanted her to coax them to the surface.

"Uncle Mushi, are you alright?" said Lee fearing the worst. The sooner they got to Gaoling the better. He needed to get his family some proper food and shelter before they got sick or hurt. If he lost his Uncle he lost the last member of his blood family.

"I feel a bit under the weather. Probably from all of this excitement. Why don't you go and gather food with Miss Toph while Miss Katara does a bit of healing." Said Iroh. Lee was worried. This must have been serious if it required a healers attention.

"I'll do my best to heal him, you go help Toph." Said Katara. She got the covered water pot from Appa's saddle. She was going to need to make another water skin very soon.

"Alright. Jin, why don't you go learn some chi blocking? It might come in handy someday." Said Lee. He could think of several scenarios where Jin would need to defend herself. He couldn't think of any where there wouldn't be any air for her to bend but she was only half trained.

"While you guys do that I'm going to hunt us up some real food to eat." Said Sokka as he walked off into the woods. Soon she and Iroh were alone on one side of Appa. The only sounds they could hear were the sounds of Ty-Lee explaining some chi blocking theory to them. Katara was going to have Aang teach her that, it looked useful.

"I am afraid I lured you here under false pretenses." Said Iroh. Katara looked startled. She thought they were on her side.

"What do you mean?" asked Katara already getting ready for a fight. She remembered how back at the Spirit Oasis he had defeated those soldiers before they even knew what hit them.

"Nothing bad I assure you. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to take a look at my nephew." Said Iroh. He admitted that what he said could be taken the wrong way. Actually, several different wrong ways. Katara visibly relaxed.

"You want me to fix his mind." Said Katara. She didn't know if she wanted to do that. Lee wasn't a threat to them but Zuko was. Lee was nice and Zuko wasn't. She could actually see Lee being a part of the group. She couldn't imagine Zuko joining them unless he planned on trying to capture Aang.

"I would like you to set his mind on the path to healing. I fear that if he represses himself as I have just discovered he is doing now it could cause irreparable harm." Said Iroh gravely. Katara had a vision of Zuko just suddenly snapping and burning everything to the ground.

"How do you think he'd take it? He has a baby on the way and a wife who loves him. We've all seen that scar, it doesn't look like he has much to go back to." Said Katara. Iroh sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been having this internal debate with himself for months.

"If it happens gradually it will go better than if it happens suddenly. I do not wish for my nephew's mind to break from this. This is all my fault." Said Iroh. It was. He shouldn't have brought Zuko to Ba sing Se. He should have watched Zuko better to make sure that he didn't sneak out that night. He shouldn't have let Zuko into the war room all those years ago.

"The Dai Li did this to him. There's nothing you could have done." Said Katara. She doubted that he could have taken on the entire Dai Li by himself. She looked at him. He looked so old then. He looked like a father who had just lost his son.

"I should have protected him better. I should have done more to help him before things got so out of hand. I did what I could but it wasn't enough. I should have done more. Some good came of this. Another air bender has been discovered and is being trained. Another air bender may be born as well. A child is always a blessing even if he is getting ahead of himself." said Iroh. He had been almost forty when Lu Ten was born and almost twenty when Ozai was born. Zuko was half the age his own father had been when he was born. Zuko needed him to help raise this child; he was young and didn't have the accumulated wisdom for proper child rearing.

"I think that you did all you could to help him and I'm not sure if you should try and make him Zuko again. I'm not just saying that because he won't be hunting us anymore; he seems happy. He's not that scary empty happy that the Joo-Dees were. He loves Jin and wants to be a good father and husband. I felt the storm of his mind. He's not nearly as far gone as…our friend…was." Said Katara. Why was it so important that he be Zuko again? She could see him hurting himself with that whole being at war with himself thing but she could maybe lock the Zuko part of him away and he'd just be Lee. Lee was a much happier, healthier guy than Zuko ever was.

"While it is true that my nephew has had much suffering in his life he still must be himself. You have given me a lot to think about, I had considered before that he was happier as Lee but I wasn't sure if it was true happiness or happiness planted there by the Dai Li. I'm not asking you to erase the part of him that is Lee, I'm simply asking you to coax Zuko out. He is already acting differently than he did when he first came back the next day after that fateful night. He was much blanker than but now I can see that he is becoming Zuko. I simply don't want him to be at war with himself. The consequences could be dire." Said Iroh

"I'll think about it." Said Katara. She went for a walk to clear her head. That was a lot to take in. Iroh hoped that the young water bender would see reason. He only wanted what was best for Zuko.

Jin stood on the other side of the Bison. She had heard everything. She didn't know what to think. Was what they said about him true? Had he been following them all over the world trying to capture Aang? Why? What good could that accomplish? Was this ordered by the same moron that tried to get rid of the moon? She shuddered as she remembered that night when the moon went red and then black. No. she decided that he would stay Lee. Zuko's father had burnt him and if that girl as truly Zuko's sister than he was better off as Lee. She ignored her aching feet and rejoined the chi blocking lesson. Later on she would have words with Uncle Mushi. Angry words.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I'm trying to do some good pacing here but also simultaneously avoid chess piece writing. You know, characters go here and there with little to nothing actually happening. It's not an easy feat to pull off. If any of you have any suggestions they're welcome. Seriously, I'm doing this for your enjoyment so any suggestions are welcome. Really, no lie.

"What's bothering you?" asked Toph getting to the point. His vibrations had been all over the place. Lee looked at her startled. If she was blind how could she tell? In fact, how did she even get around?

"How can you tell something's bothering me?" asked Lee. She kicked some vegetables out of the ground. Lee picked them up and made his tunic into a basket. Why had Katara sent him with her? She seemed to be able to handle herself just fine. Maybe she wanted him away from the group for some reason. Hmm…no, she was much nicer now. He was probably just overthinking it.

"I can feel your vibrations in the ground. C'mon Tea Bender, talk to me." Said Toph scuffed her toe into the ground and a root vegetable popped out. She hoped it was edible. She could feel the wild root vegetables in the ground but she didn't know what she was kicking up.

"Is that an earth bender thing or just a Toph thing?" asked Lee. If other earth benders were that power maybe that was why they had held out. It could have been a super power earth bender thing. She could bend metal after all. Or so she said.

"It's a Toph thing. Most Earth benders aren't as in tuned to the earth as I am. Now answer the question." Said Toph. She wanted him to be alright. She didn't want him to end up like Jet. She didn't want his to suddenly say that he had to go to Lake Laogi and then attack them.

"I'm not going to unload everything on a kid." Said Lee. She didn't need to worry about him. Jin and Uncle Mushi worried enough. Toph made a small wall in front of him. She had to make sure he was alright.

"I can handle it." Said Toph. Lee wasn't convinced. She was twelve, thirteen at the most. There was also the fact that he didn't want to remember who he was. He was Lee now and that's what mattered.

"No, you can't. It's complicated alright." Said Lee. Toph kicked up some more food. They'd need all the food they could find. They couldn't afford to just pop into any town since Azula would probably be looking for them.

"Alright, alright. I get it. It's something about you not wanting to remember who you were. If you don't want to that's fine. My parents tried to make me be who they wanted me to be…it didn't work out so well." Said Toph. True her parents weren't actively malevolent but they didn't let her be her even after she showed them what she could do.

"At least they didn't burn half your face off." muttered Lee. He knew his father had done this. What kind of a person did this to their own son? His son wasn't even born yet and he couldn't think of hurting Teiji or Honora, if she was a girl.

"Wait. Just wait. Your parents burnt half your face off?" said Toph stopping in her tracks. That was…wow. She couldn't blame him for not wanting to be Zuko. Wow. She was standing there complaining about her parents and half of his face was burnt off.

"No, just my dad. I don't really remember my mom. He did it because I embarrassed him. I guess he was important or something." Said Lee with disgust. He'd never, ever hurt his children no matter what they said or did. Toph felt like there was a heavy weight in her belly. Poor, poor Zuko.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine what it must be like to have half of your face burned off." said Toph. Why hadn't anyone told her? They probably forgot she was blind again.

"It's ok. The other half of my face is still there, it's just a really big scar." Said Lee. Toph reached out her hand.

"Can I feel it?" asked Toph. She didn't want to offend him, she was genuinely curious. Lee was about to tell her no. He looked down at her. She was blind and that was the only way she'd know what he looked like.

"Here." Said Lee taking her hand. He bent over so she could feel. Toph squeaked in surprise. He was warm, if she didn't know he was a fire bender she's think he was sick. She felt the smooth skin under her fingers. This was definitely a scar. It went back under his hair line.

"I'm sorry." Said Toph taking her hand from his face. Lee shook his head.

"It's not your fault." Said Lee. They continued to collect food until Lee couldn't carry it anymore. They made their way back to the camp in companionable silence.

"Uncle Mushi, can we talk?" asked Jin as she saw Lee coming out of the deep forest carrying more root vegetables for them. Jin wasn't happy, not happy at all. Uncle Mushi knew and did nothing.

"What's on your mind?" asked Uncle Mushi. Jin crossed her arms. She was in no way happy with him. she knew he was her elder and was older and wiser etc…but if he knew all along that it was the Dai Li and was only now going to do something. He had said that yes Lee was different and now he was asking Katara to fix him. Before he had said that any change would have to come from Lee himself. Well, which was it?

"Lee." Said Jin. Iroh's smiled wavered. So, she had been listening. Well, she knew something had happened to him but he hadn't wanted to hurt her image of him. He didn't wish any harm to Zuko but he couldn't go on like this.

"He went off to gather food with Toph." Said Iroh being intentionally dense. Jin motioned over to where he and Toph were sorting out the food. Would the real Lee have ever done something like that? Would Zuko have been that nice? Would he have ever given her the time of day?

"So, he is this Zuko guy. Why is it that now you want him fixed? Also, why didn't you just tell him who he was? You made it seem like he had always been Lee." Said Jin. If she had been an earth bender the ground would have rumbled. She had so many questions to ask him. Had he really chased the Avatar and his group around the world? Why? Why would he try and capture the living incarnation of the spirit of the world? What, did he plan on going a few rounds with the Face Stealer after that?

"He was. I assure you that if I had been able to do something I would have but to just tell him would have broken his mind, if he even believed me at all." Said Iroh. Jin didn't look convinced. Did he do it for Lee or himself? For as long as she had known Lee he was a very, unusually, nice guy. Was that part of his persona too?

"So why try and make her drag up his memories now? He already said he wanted to be Lee." Said Jin. Iroh ran a hand through his hair. These were very difficult questions to answer. That is, if there even was a nice answer. Lee was happy. Zuko wasn't. Zuko wanted to please a man who was incapable of loving anyone except maybe himself. Lee wanted to please everyone.

"Because this has gone on long enough. She is a proper healer and can help him, I am not and did my best. The longer he stays as Lee the worse it will be for him later. He cannot go on like this." Said Iroh. It was true. He had liked Lee, he wasn't going to lie. He had liked being listened to. He had liked seeing his nephew happy. It was almost like having a second son.

"But This Zuko guy sounds really…bad. He supposedly chased the Avatar and his group around the world. Lee doesn't want to be him." said Jin. Why didn't what Lee wanted matter? It was his right to be whoever he wanted to be. If he wanted to be Lee than he should have the right to be Lee, forget what everyone else said.

"My nephew was stuck following the orders of a madman. He had no choice in the matter if he ever wanted to return home again. I cannot stress enough that he didn't want those orders nor did he enjoy them." said Iroh. Jin was thoughtful. Had Lee been a soldier then? Did he desert the army and then end up in Ba Sing Se? Wait, if he had been a soldier then why was his uncle with him. That is if Mushi was even really his uncle in the first place.

"Are you really his uncle? Was that part ever true?" asked Jin. Iroh had to give her credit, she looked pretty threatening then there. As an air bender, even a half trained one, she was. Fire couldn't exist without air. Life couldn't exist without air.

"I assure you that I am in fact his uncle, though I often think of him as a son and of you as a daughter." Said Uncle Mushi. He clasped his hand on her shoulder. Jin felt her anger ebb. He wasn't doing what he did out of maliciousness, he truly wanted the best for Lee. The problem was that he may have wanted the best for Lee but he didn't know what was best for Lee. She was his wife. She did.

"He said he remembered his father gave him that scar for saying the wrong thing in front of important people. Now you say a crazy man told him to roam the world looking for the Avatar. The Avatar who, until very recently, people thought died with the air nomads. What reason could he possibly have for wanting to be Zuko again?" Said Jin. It made perfect sense. Lee was living a good life and he was happy. Nobody was telling him to search the world looking for a legend and nobody was throwing fire at him. Well, that crazy lightening girl was but they could out fly her. Uncle Mushi said that it was bad for him to be Lee but would it really be worse for him than being Zuko?

"Because it is for his own good. There are mechanizations going on beyond any of our control and things will go much more smoothly if he became Zuko again. Perhaps with your help he can be the best of Lee and of Zuko. I assure you that Zuko wasn't a bad person, he had a bad life. He was the most determined person I have ever known. You can put him on the right path. You can help him be a better person. You love him and he loves you. With your help he can be Lee and Zuko." Said Iroh. Jin took a step back. This was big. She could help him? She hadn't thought of that. Still, this seemed to be more the realm of healers than of seamstresses.

"How can I help? I'm not a healer. I'm just Jin." Said Jin. Sure, she could help him emotionally but this seemed too big for her. She was just one person.

"You are the woman my nephew has chosen to spend his life with and that is enough. He trusts you. He loves you. He has shared himself with you in every way possible and you have done the same. You are telling me that is nothing?" Said Iroh. He knew she could help him. His nephew had seen something in her. Iroh could see it too. She was a strong person, stronger than she knew. She had taken on a master bender and survived. A master chi blocker and lasted. She had managed to learn and convert fire and earth bending forms to her air bending. She had managed to convert bending forms of fire bending which used positive jin, her opposite energy. More impressive she had managed to convert some earth bending forms, her opposite element. The spirits had chosen air bending to survive in this girl for a reason.

"So I can help him emotionally. What makes you think he would want my help to be this Zuko guy again? What makes you think this Zuko guy would want me?" said Jin. The thought of Lee waking up one day, remembering he was Zuko, and then abandoning her was too much to endure.

"Because he loves you, that is enough. I assure you that even if he was to get his memory back this very second that would not change. I have hope that this will work out well for everyone." Said Iroh. He was thinking big and long term. It would be best of Zuko was the Fire Lord with the last female air bender at his side to ensure peace and prosperity for his nation. If this didn't work out he would have to assume the throne. History would come to see it as a brother killing another brother in a grab for power. If his nephew was working with the Avatar and married to a member of the Avatar's people it would be much more beneficial in the long run.

"You hope for something that's impossible." Said Jin. She was thinking in the short run. The pain and suffering he'd go through. Their tentative acceptance by the Avatar's group hinged on the fact that Lee not remember that he was Zuko. She couldn't imagine everyone coming out of this unscathed.

"You yourself are impossible, you know that? Every air bender was killed either at the temples or systematically hunted down and yet here you are with the air bending gift." Said Uncle Mushi sagely. Jin played with her braid. She hadn't really thought that deeply on it. She assumed that this was some fluke of the blood. She had some long lost air nomad ancestor on both sides of her family and here she was, like how sometimes a blue eyed child was born near the northern or southern coast.

"I'll do the best I can but I'm not going to promise you that this will end well." Said Jin. She was going to help him in any way she could. She thought back to their first date. What if she had lost her nerve and not asked him out? Where would she be now? Slaving away in the work house making dresses for the upper ring ladies? Would she even have discovered her air bending? She shook those thoughts from her head. There was no use dwelling on what ifs, she had to focus on the here and now. She went over to join Lee and Toph as they helped pack their food onto the bison. Apparently Sokka had caught an animal an Aang, being uncomfortable with a dead thing on board wanted them to stay and cook it now. Sokka was debating with him that they needed to cover more ground if they wanted to throw Azula off their trail. Eventually he won. They all boarded Appa and flew off into the sky. She thought about her conversation with Uncle Mushi, she was going to have to do what she had to do. Nobody said marriage was easy. Maybe this was why people their age didn't get married.

"Zutara." Said Lee suddenly. Everyone looked at him. He had been thinking about his former life which was beginning to get him upset so he thought of Jin. Thinking of Jin made him think of the baby. Thinking of the baby had led him to thinking of names for the baby. Teiji and Honora were nice but Katara was a nice name too. It was still much too Water Tribe though. Zutara sounded more…fire nation earth kingdom northern coast colonial. Wow, that was a mental mouthful.

"Huh?" asked Katara. She was spacing out and heard her name. Well, it sounded like someone had taken her name and mixed it with Zuko's.

"For the baby. We like your name but it's too Water Tribe, no offense. Zutara sounds more Fire Nation Earth Kingdom northern coast colonial." Said Lee. He could see Uncle Mushi holding back laughter. What, it was a good name. It was better than their original choices, anyway. Where in the world did Jin think that Zigsa would sound like a good name?

"Well that was a mouthful. I thought you guys already had names picked out." Said Toph clinging to Sokka's arm a little more tightly than was necessary. Their dinner, thankfully, was in a sack in the back of their saddle next to their stuff.

"Well yeah but we're going to have more than one kid." Said Lee. Jin nodded in agreement. She wasn't opposed to the idea or having more than one child, she rather liked imagining herself surrounded by a group of adorable daughters. She'd have to keep him thinking about their future together. If she did then he'd be more likely to stay when he got his memory back.

"Let's have four, that way we have two boys and two girls." Said Jin. Two fire benders and two air benders. Little Lee's and Jin's surrounding them. Tiny little tea servers with tiny little uniforms. It would be perfect. As soon as Ba Sing Se stopped being taken over by the Fire Nation.

"Don't do theme naming like my parents. I have seven sisters and all of our names end in Lee. No offense, Lee." Said Ty-Lee. She hated looking exactly like, and having almost the same name as all seven of her sisters. Their kids deserved to be unique. If they were air benders it didn't get more unique than that.

"No taken. Wow, you have seven sisters?" Said Lee. He imagined being surrounded by a crowd of seven little Lee's and Jin's all demanding rides and candy like one horrible chanting mass. He suppressed a shudder.

"Yeah, I guess my parents really liked girls." Said Ty-Lee. Or maybe it was the fact that because of their family's chi blocking ability they could only marry people from other chi blocking families. She knew that some of the more closely married nobles had trouble getting boys so the same basic principal must have applied. She guessed that explained how alike she and her sister's looked. Maybe being part of a matched set made her so susceptible to Azula's influence when they had met that day at the Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls.

"You can pick if they're boys or girls?" asked Aang. He hadn't known that. Lee turned his head so Aang wouldn't see the silent laughter. It wasn't his fault, being raised by monks and all.

"No but we can hope." Said Lee putting a hand to Jin's stomach. He couldn't wait until it started kicking. If it was moving then he'd know it was alright. He was worried about it. Jin had fallen pretty hard off the air scooter.

"I'm honored you want to name your baby after me." Said Katara truly touched. She wondered if she had done anything to warrant this besides having a nice name. Maybe Zuko was subconsciously remembering her deciding not to let him freeze to death in the North Pole.

"Well, only if it's a girl and it doesn't look like an Honora." Said Lee. He liked Honora. Honor was an important thing for a person to have. Jin liked it too, it sounded nice and Lee really seemed to like it.

"It's a lovely name for a lovely little girl." Said Uncle Mushi. Lee hoped he wasn't making Uncle Muhsi feel bad having lost his only kid and all. Iroh liked it because he liked it. No real reason. It would sound good for the heir to the thrown to be named Honora. It sounded, pardon the pun, honorable. That is if she was their first born fire bending child. Removing the stipulation that the Fire Lord needed to be male was the second royal decree that was coming back to bite him.

"Newborn babies don't really look like anything besides all covered in gross stuff." Said Sokka shuddering. Sure, they got cute later but it was an entirely different story when they just came out all cone headed and slimy.

"Don't listen to him. I'm sure that when you look at your new baby the perfect name will just come to you." Said Katara as she glared at Sokka. Nobody had invited him to come and gawk at the newborns, thank you very much. They looked perfectly adorable after they were cleaned off and their heads rounded.

"Maybe you should give it an air nomad name since it's gonna be an air bender. Yangchen was the last air nomad Avatar before me and she had a nice name. Tenzin's a nice name for a boy. That was Monk Gyatso's given name." said Aang. Lee shook his head. If it turned out to be a fire bender, a non-bender, or even an earth bender it wouldn't fit. Not that he was planning on having an earth bender but Jin was from the earth kingdom so it was possible.

"Maybe you should keep the air nomad names for your own kids." Said Jin. She was thinking along the same vein as Lee. It would look worse if a fire bender had an air bender name than if an air bender, who wasn't supposed to exist, had a vaguely Fire Nation name.

"Good thinking." Said Katara looking at Aang. He couldn't really imagine doing…that with Katara but it was something he was going to have to do if praying to the spirits didn't work. He could always go into the spirit world and ask them nicely.

"I always liked Lin." Said Toph. The topic of a proper marriage had been fluttering around her family for as long as she could remember. She didn't care much about the husband if it meant she could leave her parent's house. The fact that she couldn't attract one of high standing more because of her unbound feet than anything mad her happy. She didn't want some snobby, bossy guy telling her what to do. The thought of marriage often led to her thinking of having kids. She'd like having daughter named Lin. She'd teach Lin to be the greatest earth bender ever.

"Aw…any thoughts on who your husband would be?" asked Ty-Lee. Toph turned her head away from Sokka and blushed. Thank goodness he didn't seem to notice. She was the greatest earth bender in the world and he was still hung up on Suki.

"Probably the second best earth bender in the world since Toph's the best. That way she could start an earth bending dynasty or something." Said Sokka. He had an imagine of little Toph's running around making new islands and canyons all while proclaiming how awesome they were. He saw her blushing and felt bad. He didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Jinko would be nice for either a boy or a girl. Jinli would be nice for a boy" Said Jin. She mentally combined both of his names and her name. They were still better than her original name ideas.

"Zujin and Lijin." Said Lee. Those sounded more fluid. He didn't want his kids to spend their whole lives getting made fun of. He got the feeling that he used to get made fun of as a kid.

"Zujin, Lijin, and Jinko for triplets." Said Uncle Mushi half joking everyone but Lee laughed. Those would be good names for triplets if Jin was having them. He looked at her stomach. Wouldn't she be much bigger if there were three babies in there?

"Alright, we're decided. The voting is now closed people. The names chosen will be Tieji, Honora, Zujin, Lijin, and Jinko." Said Jin in mock seriousness. Everyone laughed until their sides hurt. Jin was only half joking, she was actually going to use these names. Five kids. It wouldn't be so bad if she spaced them out.

"Wait, what about Kataang?" said Aang looking at Katara to gage her reaction. She seemed happy that Lee wanted to name his baby after her. Wouldn't it be great if he named their baby after the two of them. His and Katara's that is. He was pretty sure that it wasn't physically possible for him and Lee to have a baby and he didn't want to go bothering the spirits over that.

"Sure Aang, whatever you say." Said Katara. It sounded more like a tangy drink than a name to her. Well, if they did have kids in the far off future they could revisit this discussion.

"It's getting dark and I'm getting hungry. Let's land someplace." Said Sokka. They soon found a dense clearing to camp in. After earth bending a well and fie bending a fire pit dinner was on its way. Lee helped Katara with the preparation and noticed that she was staring at him. It was a lot like how Jin sometimes stared at him. While he was glad for the distraction from his memories he still needed to tactfully make sure that she wasn't developing any kind of feelings for him. He was married to Jin; they had an unborn child to prove it. He went to the well to fetch more water when he was accosted by Aang.

"Hey Lee, can I talk to you?" asked Aang. He had been watching Katara all through his second chi-blocking lesson of the day with Ty-Lee. He knew he loved her and he wanted to know if she loved him back. He blamed it on all this talk about babies.

"Sure." Said Lee. Aang seemed oddly nervous about something. He hoped that Aang wasn't going to say that he didn't want to learn chi-blocking anymore because the monks were nonviolent or something. What did he intend to do, play the Fire Lord at Pai-Sho instead of fight him? Winner got control of the Fire Nation loser had to go away forever?

"In private?" asked Aang. Ty-Lee was talking to a half paralyzed Sokka about something, Toph was picking her toes, Iroh was making tea, and Katara was making dinner. Anyone of them could listen in and what he had to say was private.

"Um…alright." Said Lee. A million terrible conversation scenarios flashed through his mind; most of them either had to do with moral conundrums or questions about human reproduction. There was always the wonderful chance that the Avatar was bringing him out there to kill him. Yes, he's take that over another fire side discussion about his and Jin's martial habits.

"When exactly did you know that Jin loved you?" asked Aang with a seriousness Lee didn't think was possible of the young monk. Grey eyes bore into his golden ones. Lee ran a hand through his rapidly becoming shaggy black hair.

"Um…I guess when she said so for the first time." said Lee. Aang got a bit too close for comfort and began nodding to show that he was listening. Katara hadn't said that she loved him yet. He knew she wouldn't lie about something like that so all he had to do was learn to read the signs that she may eb ready to tell him.

"Yes, yes, and when was that?" said Aang. He wished he had some ink and brushes so he could take notes. Normally he would have asked Sokka but he felt uncomfortable asking him about how to get Katara to love him. Lee already had a wife so he must have done something right.

"Um…that's kind of private." Said Lee. He turned an unhealthy shade of red as he remembered that first awkward time with her on her tiny bedroll in their living/eating room. That was definitely something he wasn't going to discuss with a twelve year old.

"I won't tell anyone, Avatar's honor." Said Aang crossing his heart. He had to know. Maybe this was why air nomads didn't have girlfriends or wives. Lee began to think up excuses for leaving. He had to go help Katara make dinner. He had to practice his fire bending. Spirits were possessing him so he had to go running naked through the forest until sunrise.

"Spirits are possessing me and I have to go running naked through the forest until sunrise." Said Lee. He mentally slapped himself upside the head. Well, if he had gone with the first two Aang might have followed him.

"Wow, you're a really bad liar. If spirits really were possessing you I'd know, I'm the bridge between the human world and the spirit world. Now please tell me. I promise I won't tell a soul." Said Aang. This was really, really important. He was going crazy. He was tempted to just blurt it out one day. Sokka said that girls liked it when you were honest and didn't play games with them.

"Really, you're the bridge between our world and the spirit world? That sounds fascinating." Said Lee. Maybe flattery would work. It worked on Toph just fine and she was much more grounded than Aang. Aang crossed his arms. Honestly, couldn't he take a hint?

"It's alright. I really need to know. You see there's this girl and I really love her but I'm not sure if she loves me back. I'm scared to tell her because I don't know what I'd do if she rejected me. I need to know what you did because you got Jin to marry you so you must be doing something right." Said Aang desperately. Hmm…Aang liked a girl. There was Ty-Lee but she was too old for him. Katara seemed a little younger than Ty-Lee but she was at least two years older than Aang. Jin was his wife. That only left Toph.

"I think that it's best if you're blunt with her or if you wait for her to tell you. Don't ever drop hints because she either won't pick up on them or will and think you're putting her on the spot. I'm sorry but I don't know much about girls aside from Jin and she was pretty forward." Said Lee diplomatically. He had to admit that was adorable. How would it work out though, earth and air were opposites?

"Why won't you tell me? I promise I won't tell anyone." Said Aang. He had been waiting but she's hadn't said anything even after they kissed in the cave of lovers.

"Because there are some things you just don't talk about with other people, alright?" said Lee. Realization dawned on Aang. Lee was getting dizzy with the amount of blood rushing to his face. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with anyone except maybe Uncle and only then if it was absolutely necessary…and they'd have that conversation by messenger hawk.

"Oh, so she told you she loved you when you were making Teiji. Gross. Hey, how'd you know you wanted a baby? Did you talk about it for a long time?" asked Aang. Lee looked down, suddenly the ground became very fascinating. Aang looked down too, he felt taller like this.

"Um…well we didn't really plan on…oh is that Uncle calling? Coming Uncle Mushi!" said Lee as he walked away. Aang, shrugged. He knew he could be pushy sometimes but he didn't understand what the big deal was. Jin had a baby growing inside of her so it was obvious that they did what married people do. He came back and got his dinner. He was getting tired of root vegetables. What he wouldn't give for a nice custard tart.

"What was that about?" asked Jin as she ate her dinner. She looked over and saw how very, very red her husband was. He looked like he had just ran for three miles straight.

"Don't ask, just don't ask." Said Lee avoiding Aang's gaze. He should've been worrying less about girls and more about chi-blocking the Fire Lord's bending away without killing him in the worst way imaginable. Thankfully there were no awkward conversations around this meal. Everyone ate heartily on the food collected that day and went to bed with full stomachs and aching muscles on the part of Sokka. He was really tired of being their chi-blocking practice dummy. Katara waited until everyone was asleep again before she went over to Lee. He was asleep curled next to Jin with his hand over her small but pregnant belly. She bent some water over and felt the storm of his mind. She had to be more gentle this time than she had been with Jet. She was grateful that Yagoda had covered the basics of mental healing with her. She coaxed memories of Zuko of from his mind and made two small suggestions. The first being that he was on Aang's side and the second being that Zuko was a good person. She hoped that it kept him from turning back into what Zuko was. She went to bed that night feeling little better than the Dai Li. She silently cried.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thank you all for reading. You guys are what makes this worthwhile. If there's anything you guys want to see happen please don't hesitate to tell me. Sorry I haven't been updating every day like before but I've been super busy with school.

"That thing's back!" said Toph waking everybody up. She could feel the ground rumbling miles away. It was coming up fast.

"Not this again!" said Sokka as he got up. Great, they had a tank full of dangerous ladies following them again.

"Everybody, get on Appa!" said Aang. How had Azula found them so fast? They had maneuvered! He looked over at Lee. Maybe Zuko was better at finding people than avoiding them.

"No, let's stop them or they'll just find us again." Said a very sleepy Jin. She had enough of this. Twice they had been found. There wasn't going to be a third time.

"How are we supposed to stop a tank? If Toph metal bends Azula will know she can and then she'll make her weapons out of wood or something!" said a very sleepy Aang. It was too early for this.

"Let's make a lot of mud and then sink this thing." Said Jin. They could pull the water from their makeshift well and make a lot of mud. When the tank went over the mud they could pull it down.

"How are we going to make enough mud to sink a tank? I say we try and lose them." said Lee looking over at Jin. He didn't want her to get hurt. For some reason he didn't want the lightening girl to et hurt either.

"I got it covered." Said Toph as she forced earth into the well. She made the clearing bigger by moving tree out of the way. Everybody ran around trying not to get crushed. Lee changed his mind, maybe they could sink it. Aang realized that he was out voted…and there hadn't even been any voting.

"You should stay hidden unless your presence is absolutely necessary. By teaching the Avatar chi-blocking you have committed high treason." Said Iroh to Ty-Lee. He been meditating and praying on what to do about everything. Nothing was coming to him aside from the obvious.

"Hide Appa, you guys don't want to lose him again." Said Lee. The ground had turned to a thick muck. Even he could feel the ground rumbling now. He took a defensive position next to Uncle Mushi. He wished that it was at least day time. He could barely see a thing even with the small fires they had lit. He was still too used to the permanent light of the city.

"Good thinking." Said Aang. He pulled Appa deeper into the forest. He didn't want to fight Azula. He didn't want to sink her tank, or whatever big metal thing she was in, she could die. Just because she was crazy and their enemy and dangerous was no reason to kill her.

"Alright, when it gets close we all swallow it up in the mud." Said Jin taking a position next to Toph. Toph turned her head in Jin's general direction.

"No offense, but you're an air bender." Said Toph. Jin swirled the air down into the mud and made a small mud tornado. Katara watched in fascination. Still, she could push mud up but how could she pull it down?

"Sokka, you flank the sides with me, Uncle, and Aang. Even though you can't bend you can still fight." Said Lee. Yes, this could work. Aang, Sokka, Uncle, and he flanked the four side of the big mud pit. He looked at the sky. Dawn was still a ways away.

"It's getting closer." Said Toph. She was having doubts. It felt bigger and denser from this close up. All these plants and rocks were distorting her vision somewhat, each moving in its own way with the rumbling.

"If this doesn't work we never have to speak of it again." Said Uncle Mushi jovially. Lee nodded in agreement. If this didn't work they could just jump onto the bison and fly far, far away. Across the deep ocean to the other side of the world where the spirits lived and the yellow or orange haired peole bent light, sound, and shadows. Or so the spirit tales said.

"Everybody get ready. It's very, very close." Said Toph. She, Katara, and Jin began to churn the mud. It was like pudding soup. The tank plowed through the trees at high speeds. They silently and simultaneously decided to pull the tank into the mud. It worked…somewhat. The tank was now upside down but was proving difficult to sink.

"No, don't sink it! They could die!" said Aang rushing over to stop them. He didn't want to kill anyone, that's why he was learning chi-blocking. Toph let up on the sinking. She didn't want to kill anyone either but they had found them twice. By now Azula must have figured out a way to track them without following trails of shedded fur. She'd just keep finding them and finding them.

"Let's at least let them have a chance." Said Katara as she too stopped sinking it. Jin let the air around them mud go. It was right or to use a Lee word, honorable, to let them have a fighting chance. Even if she could throw lightening at them. even if she had no problem taking on the spirit of the world. Even if she dared to try and hurt Lee. Zuko. Lee.

"Something's wrong here, why aren't they coming out?" asked Sokka. He made a motion to get in closer but Lee pulled hard on his tunic. Right, going towards the people who wanted to kill them, stupid.

"Everybody fall back!" yelled Lee. Aang pulled them back with a massive gust of wind. the hatch exploded off in a massive blast of fire. He went over to Jin, she looked hurt.

"I'm fine." Said Jin. Her tunic was just a little singed but she herself was alright. At least the fire helped to dry the mud, she though dryly. This was no time to be wishing for a change of clothes.

"Playing hide and seek, Zu-Zu? Looks like I won!" said Azula as she emerged from the tank propelled by a burst of blue flame. Wow, she looked terrible. She looked like she hadn't slept in days and she had a semi deranged look on her face.

"Don't call me that, La-La!" said Lee as he pushed Jin out of the way. La-La? Where had that come from? No, she couldn't be his sister! Being from the Fire Nation he could understand. Being the son of someone important and crazy he could understand. Being the older brother to the crazy Fire Princess, that had referred to her as Princess Azula and might have been mocking her, he couldn't understand. He didn't want to be her big brother. Big brothers didn't do this to little sisters. Little sisters didn't try and kill big brothers.

"How about traitor?!" said Azula as she sent a burst of blue flame towards him. Uncle Mushi helped him deflect it. Earth benders began to pour out of the tank like ants. Azula kept her barrage up. She had to kill him. She couldn't let father know she failed. She wasn't Zuko!

"She's a noble. Make her feel less important than she is!" said Jin quietly through clenched teeth as she rushed over to help them. She may have been an air bender but she knew fire bending forms. Air needed fire, to burn and to move, so she could conceivably more fire through air bending. She decided not to reveal her air bending to this girl just yet. It was worse than revealing Toph's metal bending. Toph could bend metal so the Fire Nation could just make things out of some sort of flame resistant wood or something. They could adapt to Toph but she was an air bender. They'd try and finish what they started a hundred years ago.

"Lee's just fine." Said Lee conversationally. He knew she wouldn't like that. He knew she liked being respected, feared. He knew she liked hot cinnamon sweet buns after a piping hot cup of rare jasmine tea. He cleared his thoughts. He was Lee and Lee didn't know these things. Lee had no reason too, he was just a simple tea server from Ba Sing Se.

"I'm Jin, by the way. I'm guessing you're Azula? We haven't formally met." Said Jin as she deflected another fire blast with a flick of her wrist. If she changed the air currents close to Azula she didn't need to put as much power into it.

"That's Princess Azula to you, peasant! You're a traitor too, betraying your nation like this. I thought you could have done better, Zu-Zu." Said Azula tauntingly. Lee tried to ignore her. He focused on deflecting her attacks. She'd have to get tired eventually. He glanced over to the side. The Avatar and his group had their hands full with the Dai Li and a girl who threw knives.

"Don't you have anything better to do than chase a twelve year old around, La-La?" said Lee mockingly. This enraged her and she made a wall of blue fire taller than she was before she launched it at them. Lee fell back and took Jin and Uncle Mushi with him. Uncle Mushi broke out of his grasp.

"That is quite enough!" said Uncle Mushi. Wow, he looked scary again. It didn't fit Uncle Mushi at all. He felt a cold feeling creep down his back. He was in an…arena of some sort? People were watching. He was just a kid, Aang's age. He shook his head. He didn't want to remember.

"Uncle, would you really hurt your niece?" asked Azula in a sweet tone. So…it as true. He had hurt his little sister. His crazy little sister. No, Lee didn't have any brothers and sisters. He only had Uncle Mushi, that Fire Nation had taken everyone else in his family. Uncle Mushi sent a barrage of fire at her. Iroh truly felt sorry for this. She was only fourteen, a year older than Zuko had been when he was banished. He hated his brother.

"I'll take that as a yes." Said Ty-Lee from in a tree. She wanted to help but she knew that she'd never be free if Azula found her. She looked over at Aang. He was swatting the Dai Li away, they were too smart to get close. Several of them were frozen in the mud.

"You try and hide better!" said Lee. Uncle had been perfectly clear. Did she want to be banished for high treason? Well, she did want to run away and join the circus…still!

"Lee, if I can get close enough I can paralyze her." said Jin. After she had been paralyzed Aang could try the chi-blocking move to remove bending. It was one precise jab to the forehead and another to the heart. If he didn't do it right she could die so it was best that he got all he practice he could in. This wasn't any bloodlust on Jin's part, this girl had proved that she was lethally dangerous. She was Lee's sister…no, she was Zuko's sister.

"No, I want you to go and hide. This is too much for you. You can't stop her, she's too good." Said Lee. This battle was no place for her, especially not against Azula. Azula would see someone he loved and tale her away. She had almost gotten hurt so many times already. He couldn't lose her too. Jin stood up at her full height.

"I can do this. I can stop her." said Jin. She kissed him quickly and rushed back into battle. He reached out to grab her tunic but she turned quickly out of his grasp. He made a frustrated noise and chased her back out into the battle field. He couldn't lose her too. He avoided tripping over the unconscious Dai Li; at least he hoped they were unconscious. Jin continued to do that air bending dodging thing as she tried to get close to Azula. Now the group was focused on her and the knife throwing girl. Mai. She was coming right for him

"Where's Ty-Lee?" said Mai as she threw her little daggers at him. He somehow knew that she wasn't going to hurt him so he didn't hurt her.

"I don't know." lied Lee as he dodged another dagger. He wished he was an air bender right about now. Jin could dodge these easily. She was like Azula in that respect. Bending prodigies. Lee wasn't jealous; it was good that Jin was good at bending. He was a good fire bender and Jin was a very good air bender. Zuko would never be good enough.

"Liar! Where is she?!" said Mai. Now she looked like she wanted to hurt him. Jin knocked her down with a blast of fire air. He rushed over to her but stopped. Aang needed his help. He was on Aang's side. She did look pretty hurt though.

"Give up, you're outnumbered and out matched!" said Aang distracting her. Jin was behind her and coming up fast. She would have gotten there sooner but that knife floozy was trying to get Lee with a wounded gazelle-dog gambit.

"I'm going to finish this once and for all!" said Azula creating the lightening arch. Iroh stepped forward to redirect it again when she was jabbed in the back by Jin. Jin mat have overdid it just a bit because she fell to the ground. Everyone disbursed from around her immediately as the energy around her cackled wildly. Suddenly there was an explosion.

"Everyone on the bison! Now!" yelled Iroh. He looked back and saw a massive burn trailing the length of Azula's arm. He put the fire on her out in a show of good faith. He had to get them moving or they would try and heal Azula as well. He knew she was still alive; it would take more than that to bring her down. It was the chi damage he was worried about.

"Wait, I can heal her!" said Katara. Iroh picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. They needed to get out of there before those Dai Li came to. He looked up and saw the sky beginning to lighten. Lightening before dawn. She'd be in for a world of hurt. They go onto Appa and flew off as fast as they could.

"I'm sorry." Said Jin before breaking down into sobs. She had just killed someone. Lee pulled her close and let her sob into his chest. He knew that Azula couldn't be dead. She just couldn't. He doubted anything could take her down.

"You did what you had to do." Said Lee running his hands through her hair and making shushing noises to her like she was a baby. Each sob cut through him like a knife. He knew what it felt like to kill someone. He didn't know where he knew it from but he knew it. It was the day the moon went out.

"How can you say that?! She was your sister and now she's dead!" screamed Aang. She was dead. Azula was dead. Chi-blocking was supposed to be used when you didn't want somebody to die. Katara reached out to him but he pulled away.

"Aang-" said Toph before Aang cut her off. He turned to Ty-Lee. Grey eyes met his. Her aura was a dingy grey and she didn't care. Azula was gone. She hadn't hated Azula or wished death onto her but she was gone. There was nothing she could do now but get on with her life. There was no way she could bring Azula back from the dead.

"You! You said that you used chi-blocking because it couldn't hurt someone! You lied!" yelled Aang. The wind was picking up around them now and they gripped the saddle for dear life.

"I never said that you couldn't hurt someone with chi-blocking. In fact, if you don't do the move I'm teaching you right you could kill the Fire Lord. I never lied. You just chose not to listen." Said Ty-Lee with a seriousness in her voice she had never used before in her life.

"Maybe if you focused more on training and less on girls you'd know that." Muttered Lee before Uncle Mushi shushed him. Flying at high speeds thousands of feet above the ground was no time to play the blame game. What had happened, happened.

"You don't even care! She's your little sister and you don't even care!" screamed Aang. Even Appa looked back at him. Appa. Someone needed to steer Appa. Lee wished he knew how, who knew where they'd end up. With his luck in the middle of the Fire Nation capital. He ignored that part about her being his sister. Lee didn't have any family except for Uncle, Jin, and Teiji.

"She's not my sister." Said Lee through clenched teeth as he held Jin close. Toph was trying to say something but he paid her no mind. Right now he needed to get himself together before he literally exploded.

"Um, Toph has something to say." Said Sokka. Katara shushed him. Aang just needed to blow off some steam. That had been shocking for everyone. Azula was their main enemy before the Fie Lord and now she was gone. Katara didn't know how to feel.

"Zuko! She's your little sister! You're Prince Zuko, son of Ozai, son of Azulon, son of Sozin, son of whoever!" yelled Aang. Zuko looked him right in the eye. He exhaled deeply and fire came form his nostrils like a dragon. Later on Sokka would swear that he saw steam coming out of his ears.

"My. Name. Is. Lee." Said Lee before he let lose a stream of fire into the sky. It was beautiful against the pink of the breaking dawn. It was also very hot too and everyone felt like they were in a sauna. Jin could swear she felt some of the hairs on the back of her head burn off.

"It's not. It's Zuko. The Dai Li messed with your head." Said Aang. Lee wanted to say something else but he felt so very tired. That had taken a lot out of him. He was Lee, not Zuko.

"Well not that you're all done fighting I can tell you that Azula's not dead. I felt her heart still breathing and she was still breathing too. Jin just really, really hurt her." said Toph finally getting her two coppers in. Everyone stared at her like she had just revealed that she could see all along.

"When, exactly, were you planning on telling us this?" said Aang through clenched teeth. Toph kicked in his general direction.

"A while ago but you decided to go and try and break Lee's mind." Said Toph. Honestly! Did they want him to end up like Jet? If he wanted to be Lee then he could go and be Lee. Did they really want Prince Zuko chasing them all over the world again?

"He's Zuko. He can't go on being Lee. People need to be who they are and not who the Dai Li brainwashed them to be." Said Aang. Jin looked like she was ready to start blowing people off the bison. Iroh decided that this was now the time to intervene. Lee knew he was supposed to be Zuko. He knew what happened. That didn't mean that he had to be Zuko now. He mentally locked away that part of him which was Zuko in a big mental box. He was Lee now and he didn't care of he had to tattoo it on his face.

"Perhaps we should now land before we end up doing things we may regret." Said Iroh looking right at Jin. She looked down shamefully. Uncle Mushi read people too well. She wasn't really going to do it, she just wanted him to shut up. She was glad she hadn't killed Azula. They landed quickly not caring that Azula was still near. She was too hurt to do anything anyway.

"Nephew, you and Jin don't look well. Stay on the bison and rest." Said Iroh in a tone which left no room for argument. Lee was about to protest but he felt like someone had drained the energy from him. Chi exhaustion. Too much pre-dawn bending. That little display on Appa hadn't helped either.

"Yes Uncle Mushi." Said Lee as he laid himself down on the hard saddle. Jin curled up next to him, she felt drained too. She fought to keep her eyes opened, who knew if Azula had reinforcements on their way or something. They hadn't really flown that far.

"You all should come with me. We have things we must discuss." Said Iroh. They all shrugged and followed him. Ty-Lee looked back at them. She couldn't blame Zuko for not wanting to be himself. She was happy that Azula was still alive. Still, Ty-Lee knew she must have sustained chi damage and her fire bending would most likely suffer.

"What'd you drag us all out here for?" Asked Toph. Everyone was mad at her for not telling them that Azula was still alive but they themselves hadn't given her the chance to tell them.

"I'm going to tell you a bit about my nephew. These will be things that I know that he, Lee or Zuko, would not want me sharing with you." Said Iroh gravely. Everyone sat down in front of him like he was their school master.

"Are you going to tell us why he was chasing us? He was always talking about honor but there's no honor in the way he was fighting." Said Sokka. Toph wanted to tell him that Zuko had told her his dad did it but she was going to leave that to Uncle. This wasn't like when Azula had still been alive, this was told to her in confidence.

"The Water Tribes define honor differently than the Fire Nation. For you you get honor by fighting for, and providing for, the tribe. In the Earth Kingdom a person gets honor by obeying their parents and following tradition and custom. In the Fire Nation honor is something that everyone has at birth but can be lost when one says or does something against the Fire Nation its self." Said Iroh

"So what Azula said about him being a traitor…" said Aang trailing off. He had to admit he didn't know much about Zuko's situation other than he was trying to capture him for the Fire Nation.

"I allowed him to come into a war meeting. He spoke out about a general's…methods…and was challenged to an Agni Kai by my brother. Zuko assumed he would be fighting the general he had disrespected but it was my brother instead. He pleaded with his father to show mercy but Ozai took it as shameful cowardice and…that's how he got that scar. He was banished until he could return with the Avatar." Said Iroh. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. Katara felt physically sick. She had said…she had done…she had tried to heal him. No, she had tried to change him.

"He was just trying to go home…." said Aang. He remembered how it felt when the realization that he would never be able to go home again hit him. He would never see anyone he knew again.

"After the siege of the north we were both declared traitors. We drifted out at sea on a raft for three weeks without any food or water. Eventually we reached the earth kingdom and found a fire nation resort where we recuperated. Azula found us again and we were force to flee to Ba Sing Se." said Iroh

"If Azula's his little sister then why is she trying to kill him?" asked Sokka. He couldn't imagine Katara ever wanting to hurt him and himself every hurting Katara. He knew Azula was crazy but there must have been a reason.

"Because she wants to be the heir Ozai wants. I feel that Ozai set up the Agni Kai as a way to get rid of Zuko. If he had died during the duel then Azula would be the soul heir. He begged for mercy so it would have been dishonorable to kill him." said Iroh

"How can anybody be so evil?" asked Katara quietly. Fathers didn't do that. Fathers loved you. Fathers played with you and taught you things and tucked you into bed at night. Father's didn't want to kill their own children.

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer to that. I do know that Zuko could never be like Ozai. He will be a better father than Ozai ever was. He will be a better Fire Lord than Ozai ever was." Said Iroh. Everyone looked at him like he had just revealed that Zuko was actually his son.

"What?" asked Ty-Lee. She got very close to him and began to examine him for a head injury. Zuko couldn't be Fire Lord. He was only sixteen. He was married to an air bender. He was currently not even Zuko.

"Have you been hitting the cactus juice?" asked Sokka. That was the only explanation. Zuko couldn't be the Fire Lord. Zuko couldn't have been much older than he was.

"I assure you that I have not. I feel that Zuko would make a better Fire Lord but in light of the…circumstances…I will have to fill that role. His fire bending offspring will be my heirs." Said Iroh. He would have preferred that Zuko usher in the era of peace and prosperity that his nation desperately needed.

"So then why does he have to be Zuko? It sounds like you have everything planned out." Said Aang. Iroh shook his head. Just because everything was planned out didn't make it the best plan it could be. Zuko would be a better candidate for Fire Lord.

"It's dangerous for him to be like this Aang. He has to go back to being Zuko or his mind could break." Said Katara. She felt bad for him. He seemed so very happy as Lee. Lee was a nice guy. Lee didn't have to worry about being Fire Lord and all that.

"Is that why you tried to fix him?" asked Toph in a low tone. She knew what she had felt last night. She had felt Katara climbing on top of Appa, heard some water bending, and then felt Katara crying. How dare she.

"His mind could break Toph!" said Katara. Toph jumped to her feet, the ground under her shaking. How dare she? How dare she mess with his mind!

"So you went and messed with it!?" screamed Toph. She hadn't wanted to say anything until she knew if he was different. Maybe Katara had been trying to heal his scar or something.

"He asked me to nudge him in the right direction." Said Katara. She didn't want to fight Toph. She didn't want to do anymore fighting today.

"Wait, you messed with his mind? After what happened to Jet?" asked Sokka. He stared at Katara. Who was she? The Katara he knew would have known better.

"Katara, how could you?!" asked Aang pain breaking into his voice. He remembered how Jet had looked after Long Feng made him attack them. What if she had accidentally set something like that off and Zuko tried to kill them?

"It's not like I don't know what I'm doing! I just nudged him down the right path to remembering who he was. I made sure he wouldn't turn against us." Said Katara. Ty-Lee backed away from them. She didn't want to get in the middle of this fight. Iroh wisely let them work this out on their own. He would only step in if things began to get out of hand.

"How?" asked Toph in a low tone, her hands out in front of her. Didn't Katara realize how dangerous that was? People's minds were their own. She had no right to poke around in there changing things.

"I learned healing in the Northern Water Tribe. I just suggested to him that Zuko was a good person and that he was on our side. I had to make sure that he wasn't going to turn on us like Jet did. What would you have done!" yelled Katara. Toph buried her halfway in the earth. Everybody looked angry with her except for Zuko's Uncle. He just looked sad and defeated.

"You made him into who you wanted him to be. You looked inside of his head and poked around where you shouldn't have. That was selfish of you Katara, very selfish. If he wants to be Lee then let him be Lee. Why would he want to be Zuko? His dad burned half his face off! His sister is trying to kill him! He doesn't need this!" yelled Toph.

"He needed to see the truth!" said Katara. She twisted against the earth in an attempt at getting free. Toph made it sound so ugly. What she failed to realize was that Zuko's mind could break if he lived like Lee. He could end up going all sorts of crazy.

"What's truth Katara?! How do you define it?! We both have truths, are mine the same as yours!?" yelled Toph. She stomped her foot and Katara popped out of the earth. Toph had to let her out, she was afraid of crushing her.

"The truth is that he's Zuko! That truth isn't mine or yours, it's his!" said Katara wishing she had some water. She'd freeze Toph into place so she could make her see reason. Aang and Sokka inched away from their fight. They knew better than to escalate the situation.

"That's the truth everyone's forcing on him! He knows he's Zuko, he just wants to be Lee. You have to let people be who they want to be. You're just like my parents!" said Toph angrily. He knew he was Zuko and he was trying not to be. His mind would have broken after Aang's screaming at him if he didn't already know he was Zuko.

"This isn't like with your parents Toph. This isn't like how you don't want to be Lady Fancy Fingers. He didn't chose to be Lee, the Dai Li did this to him." said Katara. Toph sent a rock flying at her.

"It's not about wanting or not wanting to be Lady Fancy Fingers, don't you get it?! I was sick of pretending to be small and helpless. I had to pretend because if I didn't they would have bound my feet and then I wouldn't have been able to earth bend! I left them and I chose to be who I am. Lee knows he's Zuko and he's choosing to be Lee!" yelled Toph. She began to attack Katara but Iroh stepping in between them.

"We all need to calm down. Everybody will meditate facing different directions until he are no longer fighting each other." Said Iroh. He directed them to sit in different places and himself in the middle. He didn't like staying in one place for too long now that he knew Azula was alive but they needed to clear their heads and calm down. Everyone grudgingly complied.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Once again thank you all for your feedback. Any forms of praise, suggestions, and criticisms are welcome.

"Lee?" asked Jin as she laid next to him. Lee stirred and made a sleepy noise. He was exhausted in every sense of the word.

"Jin?" asked Lee. He could hear yelling in the background. He was too exhausted to focus on it. Something about him he guessed. No, about Zuko.

"I don't think we should travel with them anymore." Said Jin. They could lay low in any other city or town besides Ba Sing Se. Sure Lee had his scar but between the refugees and veterans plenty of people had scars. It would be safer to lay low until the Fire Lord was defeated and the war was over.

"We're on Aang's side." Said Lee automatically. They had to help Aang as best as they could. They were on his side. He was a good person.

"That doesn't mean we should put ourselves in mortal danger. I'm too pregnant and Uncle's too old to be fighting Dai Li and fire princesses and whatever else wants them dead." Said Jin still lying next to Lee fighting exhaustion. That was close. Too close.

"Jin, you're not that big yet but I see what you mean. I don't want either of you to get hurt but we're on his side. I just don't know, Jin." Said Lee. They had to help Aang. They were on Aang's side. Lee was a good person. Jin sat up and looked at him. he looked almost peaceful lying there with his eyes closed. She traced the smooth skin of his scar.

"I do. Lee, we need to stay safe. I want to learn air bending, I really do, but not now. I want to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord but I'm nowhere near a master so I'd be more of a hindrance. Plus, all this running around, fighting, and camping isn't good for the baby." Said Jin. Lee opened his golden eyes and looked at her, really looked at her. What was he saying? He was on Aang's side but he didn't want to lose Jin. He had already lost so much. Zuko had lost so much. Lee still had Uncle and Jin and the baby.

"If we stop traveling with them what will we do? I have no idea where we are and I'm in no shape to fight." Said Lee thinking practically. They had money but nothing else. No food, no water, no change of clothes, no shelter, nothing.

"Not now, Lee, we're in the middle of nowhere. When we get close to the next down we'll just tell them that it's time for us to go." Said Jin. She imagined the look of hurt on Aang's face. He had just found another air bender and now she was leaving. It wasn't like it would be goodbye forever or anything. Unless he couldn't defeat the Fire Lord, that is. She didn't want to think about that.

"Jin, would you still love me if I was Zuko?" asked Lee. He sat up and looked her in the eye. A series of emotions passed before him in her grey eyes. She pull him close and rested her head on his broad chest.

"I would love you no matter who you were." Said Jin. Lee held her close. He didn't care that she was filthy and singed. She didn't care either. They would care for a bath though. And food, Jin missed non root vegetable food.

"I…I want to be Lee. From what I remember Zuko had a terrible life. His father burnt half his face off and his sister…well you saw the Azula girl. I can hear them yelling over there about what I should do and who I have to be. If I do end up being Zuko I just want you to know that I love you and I will always love you, Jin." Said Lee. He was crying now and Jin cried with him. Why did it have to be like this? Why wouldn't everyone just shut up about him and leave them in peace? Why?!

"Maybe if you do remember everything about being Zuko you can still be Lee." Said Jin wiping away tears of desperation. Lee gave her his full attention. He assumed that after he remembered everything about being Zuko Lee would just sort of…cease to exist.

"What do you mean? I wouldn't be Lee anymore, I'd be Zuko." Said Lee. Jin shook her head. It wasn't as if they were two physically separate people. They just existed in the same mind.

"What I mean is why can't you remember everything about Zuko but be Lee? You wouldn't disappear, you could still be you. The you that I know and love." Said Jin. Happiness dawned across his face.

"What if I just said that I remembered to be Zuko? Then everyone would stop arguing about me and they could focus on getting Aang ready to defeat the Fire Lord." Said Lee. Yes, that could work. Let them all think he's Zuko and then they could focus on the important things, like stopping the war.

"That could work. We'd have to do it gradually though so they won't get suspicious. Then after the war is over we can get back to our lives." Said Jin. She missed Ba Sing Se even if the upper ring was full of snobs. She missed the train, the convenience, and the predictability of it all. Lee wanted to get back to their shop and paratment in the upper ring. His kids could grow up there and be happy and safe. His kids…what if they were fire benders? He was a fire bender, Uncle was a fire bender, and Princess Azula who actually was his sister was a fire bender. Princess. Did that make him a prince? Prince Zuko? It fit.

"I just had a crazy thought. If Azula really was a princess and she is my sister then wouldn't that make me a prince?" said Lee. It fit. Wow, a prince. Him, royalty? A noble he could understand, but a prince? As in heir to the throne?

"I'll ask Uncle Mushi. If you are a prince then maybe he expects you to…take over after your father." Said Jin. Realization dawned on her. Uncle Mushi wanted Lee to be Zuko because Zuko could lead the Fire Nation after his father died. Zuko could lead the Fire Nation into an era of peace…and keep them from killing everyone else as soon as the Fire Lord died.

"If I was the Fire Lord then maybe I could stop the war…" said Lee. The wheels in his head were turning. He was going to have to at least pretend to be Zuko. It was for the greater good. Everyone was always harping on Aang that he had to defeat the Fire Lord even though the kid really didn't want to. If Aang could face his father then he could become the next Fire Lord. With Sky Lady Jin at his side.

"You could be the best Fire Lord ever! You could help people instead of killing them! You could do all kinds of wonderful things!" gushed Jin. There was a light at the end of this dark tunnel. If he was the Fire Lord then he could fix everything. Uncle Mushi could advise him to be the best leader he could be. He could set Ba Sing Se free!

"You could be my Sky Lady." Said Lee twisting a piece of her long brown hair between his fingers. He had a vision of Jin in a fancier version of Aang's outfit only it was a dress and she had a giant crown of fancy jewels and a jewel encrusted glider. Wow, he really needed to get some rest.

"Wow, Sky Lady Jin. I could be an air bending master! Then the other air nomads can come out of hiding and we'll all work with the Fire Nation!" said Jin. The winds around them picked up at her enthusiasm. Lee bit back the fact that she would need to learn to turn off her bending before she became a master.

"You could teach them that fake fire bending thing you did. That was amazing! You're a prodigy." Said Lee. She was a prodigy but she was nothing like Azula. She was a good person and she never used fear or manipulation to intimidate people. She was blunt, like the Earth Kingdom but forward like the Fire Nation.

"No, I'm not. I just train my metaphorical air bending master arrow off." said Jin. She laid herself back down and Lee joined her. She felt herself drift off as she felt the rise and fall of his chest.

"Either way you're still amazing. I love you, Sky Lady Jin." Said Lee drifting off as he lay curled up against her in the early morning sun. He reached down and put his hand over their baby. He could have sworn he felt it kick even though he knew that it was still too young.

"I love you Fire Lord Lee." Said Jin as she dozed off. Everything felt perfect to her then. She didn't care if they were singed and filthy, this was perfect. Until Teiji decided to wake up that is. Jin groaned and went into the woods, this was a vegetarian fire bender, he rose with the sun.

Everyone was supposed to be meditating but most of them weren't. Aang was honestly trying but he just couldn't quiet his mind. This was all too much. Katara…Katara had messed with Zuko's mind. Like the Dai Li. Uncle Iroh had asked her to do it. He didn't know what the right answer to this problem was. He was happier as Lee but he was actually Zuko. He glanced over at Katara. She was crying silently to herself. Toph shouldn't have torn into her like that. He was the Avatar and he didn't know what to do, so how could she?

Katara felt like someone had ripped her open and pulled her insides out. She was just trying to help Zuko. She never meant to hurt him. This was too much. She cried as she remembered the betrayal in everyone's eyes. She turned to look at Aang. He held eye contact with her. he looked more concerned than mad.

"Have we all calmed down? Are we no longer filled with violent impulses towards each other?" asked Iroh. They seemed a lot less angry. Toph no longer looked like she wanted to bury Katara alive. They all looked so very young as they turned to face him. None of them could have been any older than Zuko.

"A little." Said Toph. She felt bad about trying to hurt Katara. She just felt so…angry. It wasn't normal anger. How dare she try and mess with his head. How could Uncle ask her to do it? She could understand him wanting his nephew back.

"Good. What has happened, happened. I know that this is a debate which could go on all day but we have to plan. We find ourselves here without any supplies, food, or water." Said Iroh. He said what he had to and now they had to focus on their immediate survival.

"We could keep foraging." Said Sokka. There had to be something to hunt in this forest. There might have been more water under them.

"We need to go into the nearest town and get more supplies." Said Iroh. It wasn't just food. They needed a change of clothes, somewhere to sleep, and things to cook with.

"If we go into town we'll get captured." Said Katara. It seemed risky to her. She would have rather flew far away and stopped somewhere only briefly in the dead of night. Toph glared at her. She was calmer, that didn't mean she was happy with Katara. She wasn't sure if their relationship would ever be the same.

"We need supplies. There's no question about it but I agree, it'll be dangerous." Said Sokka. He didn't want to risk getting captured by going into a town or for going back to where Azula attacked them to get their stuff.

"Let's just fly until we get to the next town and then only send one or two of us." Said Aang. He didn't want to think about what had happened so he focused on their immediate needs. It was a lot better that way.

"Good plan." Said Sokka. He looked over at Katara. She seemed more than upset. He hated himself for yelling at her no matter how selfish and stupid her actions were. She just wanted what was best for everyone.

"Let's go before Azula catches up with us." Said Toph. Azula was still alive even if she was really, really, hurt. She knew that nothing short of death would stop Azula. She was crazy determined and just plain crazy.

"She's probably not in any condition to do much of anything for a while. Jin blocked off her chi path while she was generating lightening. It's dangerous enough to chi-block someone mid-bend when you know what you're doing. There's a lot more going on when lightening is generated. If Azula can still bend it won't be anything like before. She'll probably try and kill you next time she sees you." Said Ty-Lee and she flounced off towards Appa. They were all once again disturbed by her levity at the idea of Azula coming to kill them.

"How can she kill us without bending?" asked Sokka. Ty-Lee poked the boomerang on his back and gave him a look. Sokka rubbed the back of his head. Right, weapons.

"Hey Jin, we're going to a town!" said Toph loudly. She could feel Jin over in the woods and was grateful that she wasn't the pregnant one.

"Alright, coming!" said Jin. She felt like throwing up but she didn't. Thank the spirits. She needed all the food she could get. She went back over to Appa and woke Lee up as they all boarded. They flew for a while in silence. The groups anger at Katara had ebbed. She had thought she was doing the right thing…even though they knew she wasn't. Aang alternated between watching the sky and Katara. He couldn't stay mad at her. He didn't know what to do about this, was there even a right answer? He looked over at Zuko and Jin as they dozed off against each other. Was there a right answer?

"I finally know where we are. If we land here we can walk towards this town. It's not under Fire Nation control but I still don't think we should all go." Said Sokka. He had been pouring over the maps trying to figure out where Appa had taken them. At least it was still in the same direction as Gaoling.

"Maybe Sokka and I should go into town alone. Aang's too obvious and little blind earth bender might draw too much attention." Said Katara. She still felt bad about what she did. Toph glared at her as best as she could. She hadn't meant to insult Toph but she was too noticeable. Just because Azula was momentarily out of commission didn't mean the rest of the Fire Nation was.

"Jin and I should go. You are both Water Tribe and obviously very far from home. A non-threatening old man and a young girl will draw far less attention." Said Iroh. He also had a contact in that town and needed to get word out to everyone that he was still alive and the plan was still on. Jin stirred at the mention of her name.

"What about Jin?" asked a very tired Jin. Iroh took in her slightly singed tunic dress. It wasn't terribly noticeable but she would need new clothes if she hoped to blend in.

"You and Uncle are going into town to get some supplies. Don't get too much, we don't have much money." Said Sokka. He only had the money pouch he carried on himself. Jin stretched and several bones popped back into place.

"It's alright, we all took some when we escaped." Said Jin. The money pouch was still secured under her tunic around her waist. She made some attempt to straighten her clothes out as they dropped. She didn't look that bad for someone who had been in two fights and no baths in three days. Lee was still sleeping the sleep of the chi-exhausted. Poor Lee.

They landed in a less dense part of the forest. She and Uncle Mushi took off for town in silence. Jin had so much she wanted to say but she knew better than to tell him about her and Lee's plan. He really wanted Lee to be Zuko but Lee wanted to be Lee.

"I think that we should go our own way after we get them some supplies." Said Jin suddenly. She couldn't tell Uncle Mushi about her and Lee's plan for him to pretend to be Zuko but she could tell him about their plan to travel alone. It was just too dangerous.

"Why do you say that?" asked Iroh looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She was up to something, he didn't get as far as he did without being able to tell if people were up to something.

"Because we almost died and I almost killed. There's a crazy princess that's gonna be even crazier when she gets better and she's going to come after them. Everything is just too…crazy and dangerous. Lee's sleeping during the day for spirits sake!" said Jin in frustration. She really hoped that Uncle Mushi would agree with her, she didn't want to fight with him.

"If you think that is best then that is what we will do." Said Iroh sagely. This could work. If he could arrange passage to Gaoling from here it would save them a lot of time considering his nephew's plan to maneuver all over the Earth Kingdom. Azula may not have been able to follow them anymore but tha didn't mean that she was the only person who could. Jin looked at him for a long time. Was he up to something? She expected some sort of objection out of him.

"You don't have a problem with that? Asked Jin suspiciously. Iroh shook his head. Jin nodded respectfully. Inside she was dancing. Wow, that was easy. Now they just had so slowly convince Uncle Mushi that Lee was becoming Zuko and then all that was left was for him to be Fire Lord. They made their way into town and Uncle Mushi turned her lose to purchase the supplies while he went into a tavern. Even if she wasn't pregnant she was still too young to drink.

"Mai?" groaned Azula as she lay on the scorched earth. Everything hurt. This was a pain like any form of pain she had ever known. The smell of charred flesh assaulted her senses.

"Don't look at your arms." Said Mai as she helped Azula up. This was bad. Miles from civilization, their tank had holes in it, and Azula had almost died. She looked over at the that half paralyzed Dai Li. She didn't truth them. They hadn't joined Azula out of any form of loyalty, they had just wanted to save Ba Sing Se from utter annihilation.

"What happened?" asked Azula. The last thing she remembered was starting to generate lightening before the pain. She looked over at Mai; her head felt like it was full of rocks. Mai's face was less impassive than usual. She looked a little…worried. If Mai was worried then something was very wrong. Zu-Zu got away. They all got away. Unacceptable!

"They got away and you…exploded." Said Mai as propped Azula against a tree. Azula lashed out at her and she took a step back. That unhinged look was back. It had started when Ty-Lee was kidnapped and the Avatar got away with Zuko and his Uncle.

"Zuko will pay." Said Azula getting up on shaking legs. She looked down at the burnt flesh that was her arms. She tried to fire bend. And tried. And tried. She couldn't get more than a few sparks out. She looked to the sky and wailed. Eventually she began to produce a small flame from her mouth. Now Mai was showing her fear. Azula couldn't bend right anymore.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing. You guys make it all worth wile. I'm sorry this took so long but I've been hitting the writer's block wall lately.

"Azula, we need to move." Said Mai. The Dai Li weren't really loyal to Azula; they wanted to keep Ba Sing Se from being burnt to the ground. They couldn't know that Azula couldn't bend anymore. She saw them coming to.

"No!" screamed Azula as she threw herself against the tree. Mai pulled her away and tried to keep Azula from doing any more damage to herself. Azula was babbling incoherently now.

"We need to get moving. You Dai Li; make an earth platform or something and take us back to Ba Sing Se." said Mai as she pulled Azula close to her. She looked down at the charred skin that was Azula's arms. She needed a healer, badly.

"I'm not Zuko!" screamed Azula as she began to cry. It was the pain, both physical and emotion that had destroyed her. She had failed father. She was worthless. She was Zuko. The Earth rumbled beneath their feet and they plowed through the forest to Ba Sing Se. Mai didn't care about the noise or the destruction, it wasn't like they were relying on the element of surprise anymore.

Jin met Uncle Mushi at the edge of town after she did her shopping. They had a change of clothes, some cooking pots, sleeping bags, and various other things. They were both bogged down by what they had but everything was necessary. Jin had changed into her new tunic dress as soon as she bought it. It didn't fit her as well as the old one did but this was made for someone else. She missed the pre made clothes in Ba Sing Se. She missed everything about Ba Sing Se.

"So, when do you plan to break it to the Avatar's group that we intend to leave them?" asked Iroh. Judging by the weight of these parcels she had bought enough for all of them as well.

"As soon as Lee wakes up I'll ask them to take us as close to Gaoling as possible." Said Jin. She could just see the heartbreak on Aang's face. She didn't want to hurt him but she didn't want Lee and Uncle Mushi to get hurt either.

"I'm surprised that you do not want to stay and fight with the Avatar to overthrow the Fire Lord. I can see your reasoning but to throw away what may be your only chance to learn air bending is unlike you." Said Iroh. He had spoken with the White Lotus contact at this town…things were bad. Apparently everyone thought he was dead, Azula still had control over Ba Sing Se, and she had ransacked his shop and home in an effort to find out what he was planning to do.

"I already said that it was better this way." Said Jin. What was with him? One minute them leaving the group was a good thing and now he wanted them to stay. She watched him walk, he didn't seem drunk or anything like that.

"I said that if you felt that us leaving was the best course of action I wouldn't hinder you. I wonder if you have any sort of a larger motivation for wanting to leave." Said Iroh. He needed to know if they were planning anything, anything at all. Zuko knew that he was Zuko, he just didn't want to be. He knew that they must have had some sort of a talk while he was sorting things out with the Avatar's group. He wondered if they had hatched their own plan.

"Well my thoughts haven't changed." Said Jin feeling a little nervous. Was he onto her? No, he couldn't be. She kicked herself for being so sudden in suggesting that they leave the group. She had given sound reasons for wanting to leave.

"I was only asking to know if he was ready to accept that truth." said Uncle Mushi sadly. Jin felt terrible. She had sounded so hostile before. He just wanted his nephew back. She couldn't fault the old man for wanting the last sane member of his family back.

"He's not as opposed to the idea as before. The problem is he doesn't really remember being Zuko. He's not completely opposed to the idea of being Zuko anymore so I guess that good." Said Jin. Iroh felt relieved. There was dissent in his home land as well as the colonies; civil war was threatening to break out over Ozai's mismanagement of the Nation. Too many people had lost family members needlessly and rumors were circulating about a possible genocide of the Water Tribes. People still remembered what the Avatar had done during the siege of the north; they weren't going to antagonize the Moon and Ocean Spirits again.

"I'm glad. I…missed him." said Iroh. It was true. He had missed his nephew. Zuko may have been lost and angry but he had been his nephew. It wasn't just needing him to be Fire Lord, he needed him to be his second son again.

"I think he misses you too." said Jin. She didn't like how sad Uncle Mushi looked then. This was too big for them. She was having second thoughts about deceiving kindly old Uncle Mushi. It was worth it to end the war. She had to keep telling herself that.

"Where's Jin." Said Lee as he woke up. He felt the space nest to him and couldn't find the familiar presence of his wife. He could hear the group so she had to be somewhere.

"She and Uncle went into town." Said Sokka as he was once again being used for chi blocking practice. They weren't paralyzing him anymore, thank spirits, they were going over the bending pathways. He was amazed to knew he had them but not the bending potential. It was like the story of that baby that was born with webbed fingers and toes. He grew up to be a terrible swimmer because neither of his parents could swim. He always took that as a story telling him not to be jealous of Katara just because she could bend.

"Alone? What if Azula finds them? What if they're attacked?!" said Lee as he jumped off the bison. He didn't know where the town was but he knew he had to protect Jin. She could fight but he didn't want her to.

"Calm down Tea Bender. Azula probably can't bend anymore, remember? Besides, if they run into any trouble Breezy can blow them away or Uncle can char them." said Toph as she felt their chi blocking lesson. She needed to learn how to block this. If she couldn't bend she couldn't see.

"Yeah, Jin fights well and Uncle's a master Fire Bender. They'll be fine." Said Aang. Zuko visibly calmed down. He really looked worried. Aang knew how that felt, he knew Katara was a master water bender but he didn't like her fighting. She could get hurt. She could die.

"I still should have gone with them." said Lee. How they not be worried. They had just fought off Azula and a bunch of Dai Li. Well to be fair Azula had exploded but she was still alive. She'd try and find them as soon as she could move again. She couldn't afford to fail.

"Well they should be back soon. They went for supplies. Hopefully they bring back some soap." Said Katara as she too watched the chi blocking lesson. She didn't like the idea of taking someone's bending away, even for a little while, because she herself had gone through it. She knew that it would be necessary to stop the war.

"Soap would be wonderful." Said Lee. He hadn't bathed in days, none of them had. He pushed some of his greasy hair out of his face. He missed being clean. He missed the city. Would the Fire Nation be much different? It was hot and wet. He remembered.

"I can't wait until Jin gets back. I'm going to let her try my glider today!" said Aang. He needed to take his mind off of everything and what better way than to teach Jin to fly? He always felt better when he flew.

"Aang, Jin's pregnant." Said Katara. She knew that Jin wasn't very far along but falling out of the sky wasn't safe even if she wasn't pregnant. Toph nodded in agreement. If it was dangerous to Breezy it was dangerous to Little Breezy.

"The bearing nuns could still fly." Said Aang remembering one of his very rare trips to the Eastern Air Temple. He was wondered why those nuns were so fat and then was amazed that they could grow little people inside of them. That was before he knew how the babies got in there.

"I'm guessing they were masters." Said Lee. He had a horrible vision of Jin falling from thousands of feet up and falling splat like a fat cake. He shook his head.

"Oh…right." Aang's face fell. Right, she still needed to learn. When the war was over he'd teach her everything he knew. Then they'd find other air benders and teach them and fill the temples and everything would be back to something resembling normal.

"You can teach her when everything's over but right now you need to learn this." Said Ty-Lee tapping Aang on the head. After what happened to Azula didn't he see how important it was to do this right? Right and when the Fire Lord wasn't generating lightening.

"I'm learning as fast as I can." Said Aang. He had been training his arrow off. He didn't need to be reminded of how important this was. He knew they were working under a harsh deadline.

"Just stay on task buddy." Said Sokka as he stood there waiting to be jabbed. The whole group was watching and learning. Even Mo-Mo seemed fascinated by this.

"I am. I know how important this is. Especially after what happened to Azula." Said Aang. He remembered how Azula looked as she lay there paralyzed and on fire. That battle had been going so well. He had paralyzed most of the Dai Li while Zuko kept his sister busy. Then everything went bad like egg custard left out in the sun.

"Yeah and Breezy was only trying to paralyze him. You're trying to take his bending away forever. That's even more complicated." Said Toph. Everyone gave her a look.

"You're not helping." Said Ty-Lee giving her a look even though she knew the blind earth bender couldn't see it. Toph stuck out her tongue.

"I'm just saying that this sounds really difficult and complicated. If I was you Twinkletoes I'd be up at dawn for training and stopping when I could move anymore." Said Toph. Mastering this seemed like mastering bending, you had to work at it and work at it until it was a natural as breathing.

"I know, I know." said Aang as he shifted his weight back and forth. Aang felt worried. What if he messed up and the Fire Lord was killed? Or ended up a drooling moron? Ty-Lee said that could happen too. He wished he had more time.

"Let's all get off Aang's back and let him train." Said Katara. She could see how distressed Aang was. This had been a trying few days for all of them. Nobody argued with her and she was grateful for that. She was tired of having them all dig into her over this Zuko thing. She didn't want them angry at her over something else.

"Thank you, Katara." Said Aang. He much better now. It was amazing how she could do that; just make him feel better with only a few words. His mind was elsewhere as they continued the lesson. He didn't want her at the invasion. He couldn't stand to lose her. She was his everything. He loved her.

"We've got supplies!" yelled Jin as they came to the group. She and Uncle Mushi put the supplies down and she ran over to Lee. She kissed him quickly and squeezed his hands in hers. Sokka coughed and exaggeratedly walked away.

"Please tell me there's soap." Said Katara as she began to separate out everything. She saw some earth kingdom clothes, enough for all of them. she looked down at her blue dress. To obviously water tribe. Jin was smart, they needed to blend in.

"Soap, cooking pots, spices, clothes, everything." Said Jin. She watched them separate out everything. They had only been together a few days but she was already attached to them. Lee felt the same way. They had all grown on him, even Katara. They went over to help

"The soap's all you, Sweetness." Said Toph. She was handed a rough sleeping bag. She handed it back to Jin. She slept directly on the earth, Jin knew that. Jin was skeptical, there was no way the hard ground was comfortable.

"You haven't had a bath in a while." Said Katara. They all hadn't. Jin looked much better though but it had a lot to do with the new, if ill-fitting, yellow dress. She had a similar and also ill-fitting green tunic dress.

"Water's your element, earth's mine." Said Toph. Lee and Jin laughed. Lee wondered if their daughter would be anything like her. They'd probably be good benders, he and Jin were pretty good benders. He smiled as he thought of a little black haired version of Jin proclaiming herself the greatest air bender in the world.

"Well, I know where there are some hot springs we can go to." Said Aang as he got out his earth kingdom outfit complete with concealing hat. Wow, Jin and Uncle thought of everything. He made a mental note to ask Uncle's real name at some point. He was Zuko's uncle, not his.

"Hot springs?" asked Jin. Iroh gave her a long look. Upon further thought it would be best for Zuko and Jin to further integrate themselves into the Avatar's group. If they, Zuko specifically, had the Avatar as an ally then things would go a lot easier. Having the Avatar as an ally could open the door for diplomatic relations with the other nations.

"Jin…" said Lee. They had already decided that they were going to leave the group. He didn't want to make leaving any more difficult than it had to be. He was really beginning to like these people. Toph was surprisingly wise beyond her years, Aang was nice despite the flightiness and personal questions, Sokka was a friend and he liked having a male friend his own age, Ty-Lee was a bit bizarre but still good company, and Katara had really become a friend. He was grateful for that. She was a bit like Jin, smart and resourceful, a good listener but not afraid to offer her opinion, a good bender…she was nice.

"Lee…" said Jin giving him a look. He looked into her wide grey eyes. He had to admit they were pretty filthy and it was a long way until Gaoling. A nice soak in a hot spring would be nice. He had a vision of Jin in a hot spring. They were going.

"So, let's get this all packed up and then we'll head over to the hot springs." Said Iroh. He wasn't going to lie, the thought of soaking in some hot water for a few hours didn't sound unappealing. Jin looked overjoyed. A hot bath. With hot water. And Soap.

"Do we have to?" asked Toph. She wasn't wild about the idea of sitting in a pool of hot water where she couldn't see and having her layer of earth washed off. She needed the earth on the bottom of her feet, she saw better like that. The closer she was to the earth the better.

"We've all got a little dirt on our…everywhere." Said Lee as he shook out his tunic. A cloud of dust began to slowly drop in the breeze. Jin smiled and made a small tornado out of it. Everyone stared at her, even Toph. Toph could feel the earth moving.

"Wow. Let's see what you can do with sand." Said Iroh. She could convincingly fake fire bending and maybe even earth bending if she tried hard. She could become one of the best benders of her generation. She was still behind Toph though, metal bending was still thought to be impossible.

"To the hot springs!" said Sokka thrusting his arm out in front of him dramatically. They secured everything onto Appa and off they flew. Lee and Jin wondered when the right time to tell them was. After the hot springs, definitely. They flew south for a while, faster than usual since Appa was going through a group spurt. Eventually they got there; it was pretty remote thank goodness.

"Where is everyone." Said Katara. She knew that for safety reasons they had to stick to pretty remote places but she had expected someone to be there. She looked around at the neglected statues covered in ivy. Around some of the hot springs she could just make out yellow and orange tiles in what was once a pattern.

"Monk Gyatso always said that we had to stay away from here since this was just for nuns. I figured that it would be empty because there aren't any more nuns." Said Aang his voice trailing off towards the end. He looked over ta Jin. Would she have come here with the other nuns if he hadn't disappeared? Would she even be born?

"Why only nuns?" asked Toph as she put up some earth walls between the hot springs. Just because Toph was blind didn't mean she wanted to show her naked self off to the world. She would also feel uncomfortable knowing that everyone around her was naked.

"I'm not sure. Monk Gyatso said something about the moon and renewal and stuff." Said Aang. He got the feeling that this was another thing that he could live his life not knowing. Katara stared at him and decided not to say a thing. Aang was so adorably innocent.

"Boys to the ones on the left, girls to the ones on the right, everyone toss me your dirty clothes." Said Katara changing the subject before Sokka made her explain moon blood to Aang since he explained babies to him.

"Lee, come here." Said Jin pulling him over to a more secluded one farther away. They slunk away from the group as nonchalantly as they could. Everyone knew where they were going and said nothing. Anything to avoid another awkward conversation with Aang. Jin and Lee slunk away behind one of the earth walls and climbed into the hot spring.

"I'm going to go tell Zuko he went to the wrong side." Said Aang. Sokka stopped him quickly. They had just come out of the battle and the fight with Katara; they didn't need to add a dollop of awkwardness onto this day.

"I would not advise that." Said Iroh. He and Sokka steered Aang over to the boy's side. They tossed their clothes over the wall to Katara. Aang felt all the tension soak out of his body. Why did nuns get to soak here? All the monks got was a bathing room with cold water in buckets and washcloths.

"But he's on the girl's side." Said Aang. Katara, Toph, and Ty-Lee looked around. They couldn't see them. They had gone further off, thank spirits. Toph was clinging to the tiled side of the spring in an attempt to not drown. She knew that this was water was too shallow but she had been uneasy around any body of water since the Serpent's Pass. Being truly blind…that sacred her.

"Relax Twinkletoes, he's far away." Said Toph he feet touching the stone side of the spring. They were like natural bath tubs. She felt a little more at easy now that she could see. She pulled her feet up and attempted to float on her back while holding onto the side. He feet were going to be traumatized after this.

"But why…oh." Said Aang. He bent some water over himself. What was with them? They already had a baby. His thoughts turned to Katara, she was pretty…really pretty. He shook his head; he decided that he'd take Zuko's advice and think more about stopping the Fire Lord and less about girls. Even if Katara was the most perfect girl in the world.

"So…how's…stuff?" asked Sokka. A few months ago he would have never imagined that he'd be soaking naked in hot springs with the Avatar and a Fire Nation General. At least there were separate hot springs. He looked over at Aang. Wow, those tattoos looked painful. There wasn't a fleshy cushion between the tattoo and the bone. Poor kid.

"No complaints." Said Iroh. Things were going well all things considered. There was a working plan and things were more or less coming together in a workable way. Zuko was not longer against remembering himself and he was becoming happy. Honestly happy.

"I'm glad everyone's alright. Well, alright enough I guess." Said Aang bending small funnels in the water. He was worried. He knew they had a plan but he was still worried about stopping the Fire Lord. What if he messed up? What if…? Zuko was wrong. He went back to thinking about girls. Girls didn't worry him like this.

"Something on your mind buddy?" asked Sokka. He was dreading the answer. He hoped that it had something to do with the war. Iroh could sense an impending awkward conversation coming and pretended to doze off. Sokka gave him a look. Why did he have to handle the awkward conversation?

"Zuko said I should spend less time thinking about girls and more time thinking about stopping the Fire Lord but…I don't feel as worried when I think about girls and other stuff. What if I mess up?" said Aang making his hot spring into a whirlpool. Sokka threw a rock into Iroh's hot spring. Let the older and wiser guy take it for once.

"There is much wisdom in my nephew's advice. Unfortunately he had a bit of a one track mind. When there's a goal he must complete he throws himself completely into it. It's a gift and a curse. Jin is the same way in some respects. When she discovered her air bending ability she threw herself into her training." Said Iroh. Sokka was about to make a comment about Zuko throwing himself into capturing Aang but he thought against it. Zuko was their friend now.

"It's normal to think about girls all the time at your age, Aang. Don't worry, and when this is over you can get all kinds of girls." Said Sokka. He thought about Suki rotting in some Fire Nation prison and felt a stab of hurt run through him. He wished that they didn't have to wait until the eclipse to save her.

"But I don't want all kinds of girls, I just want one girl." Said Aang quietly looking at the earth wall. Unbeknownst to him the girls were listening to everything. Ty-Lee though it was the most adorable thing she had ever heard. Toph was making over dramatic vomiting motions. Katara was just listening.

"You'll probably get her, you're the Avatar." Said Sokka. He had no idea Aang was talking about his sister. If he did…bad things. Very bad things. Nobody thought about his baby sister like that. Iroh smacked himself over the head.

"You'll want to find a young lady who cares about who you are and not only the fact that you're the avatar." Said Iroh. Telling him to use his status as the Avatar to get girls was terrible advice for a kid his age.

"Like Zuko and Jin?" asked Aang. Jin loved him and she didn't even know he was a prince. She even wanted to have a baby with him. He wondered what it was the attracted Jin to him. He was nice and stuff but Jin was the last girl air bender. She was pretty and smart and…not Katara. He loved Katara. He just thought Jin was pretty and smart.

"Just like my nephew and Jin." Said Iroh. They cared for each other, he could tell. How much of it was genuine love and how long it would last he didn't know. He thought it was genuine but he too had though he felt genuine love at their age. He didn't know what that was until he met Lu-Ten's mother. No, he was confident that Zuko and Jin genuinely loved each other.

"I love you, Sky Lady Jin." Said Lee as he ran a bone comb through Jin's matted soapy hair. He needed this. Just him and Jin martially alone in a hot spring taking a hot bath. All the tension in his body just melted away.

"I love you too, Fire Lord Lee." said Jin. She moed the air around them and made hearts in the steam. At least they looked somewhat like hearts. It didn't matter. All that mattered was her and Lee. Here. Now.

"So, tomorrow we'll tell them we're leaving?" said Lee. She leaned back into him and sighed. She supposed that they'd have to leave the group.

"Tomorrow." Said Jin forlornly. She was getting attached to them. She was going to miss them. What if they didn't succeed in defeating the Fire Lord. She looked at Lee's scar. The Fire Lord didn't have any problem with hurting kids.

"Don't be sad, it's not like its forever." Said Lee kissing her. She buried her head into his well muscled chest. That's what she was scared of. The thought of losing one of them…it hurt.

"What if it is?" asked Jin softly. Lee kissed her more deeply. He was sure they'd be alright. They survived this long and they were all great benders, except Sokka but he was hardly useless, and they had fought before.

"It won't be." Said Lee convincing both of them.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thank for the reviews and as always all suggestions are welcome.

"I've got to admit it; that was a good soak." Said Toph as she finished getting dressed in her new earth kingdom outfit. It was a slightly girly dress made of a ruff fabric. Toph wanted her old outfit back but she knew they had to try and draw the least amount of attention to themselves.

"I agree." Said Ty-Lee re-braiding her long brown hair. It just melted all of her troubles away.

"What are we gonna do now?" asked Aang pulling his hat down as low as it would go. They could always just stay there until the eclipse. It was secluded on a mountain and nobody seemed to have been there in a hundred years.

"I think we need a new plan." Said Sokka as they all got dressed in their earth kingdom disguises. The eclipse was two months away and they didn't have the earth kingdom soldiers to back them up. They were going to have to do a stealthy mission with their friends and allies from around the earth kingdom. It was a big risk and he wanted to find another way. He knew where he had to meet his father and everyone else but they needed a place to hide for two months.

"What's wrong with our old plan?" asked Katara. They were going to go into the boiling rock and rescue Suki while Aang permanently chi-blocked the Fire Lord. It seemed sound to her.

"Yeah, we're going to save Suki while Aang, Lee, and Jin go and fight the Fire Lord." Said Toph. She got the feeling that the people in question were looking at her.

"Toph, when exactly did everyone plan on informing us of this new development?" asked Lee. Him, fight his father? The Fire Lord? The guy who burned half his face off and exiled him when he was thirteen? Did they all decide to break out the cactus juice while he was off with Jin?

"Well we just thought that, you know, him being you're uh…" said Sokka. It made perfect sense to him. If Zuko helped defeat his father then he or Uncle could be Fire Lord, but not evil Fire Lords since they were pretty alright, and then usher in an age foe pace and prosperity.

"You shouldn't make plans involving other people without telling them." said Jin crossly. She had her own plan, thank you very much, and it didn't involve a very pregnant Jin fighting the most evil man on the planet.

"When's this comet coming anyway? Jin might be too big to fight and even if she wasn't I don't want her, you know, dieing." Said Lee. He could go with them and help defeat the Fire Lord and leave Jin somewhere safe. It seemed like a good plan.

"Two months from now. If she can't help you still can. Oh, and you too, Uncle." Said Sokka. He had been thinking about this for a long time. A very long time. Without the earth kingdom army they were out in the cold without a parka. Their best bet was to have everyone they could helping out, and that included Zuko and his family.

"Two things, Sokka. Number one; you could have gone over this with us at some point. Number two; we need to get to Gaoling because Uncle has some friends there that will put me and my pregnant wife up." Said Lee. He wanted to help, he really did, but he had to think about Jin and her wellbeing. She'd be about five months along then and according to the illustrations she'd be showing past her tunic. His father wasn't going to show mercy on a pregnant woman, especially not a pregnant air bender. He'd finish what Sozin started.

"Maybe you and Uncle can stay with them and I'll go." Said Jin touching his arm gently. If he defeated his father then he could be Fire Lord and stop this war. She'd be too big to fight and even if she wasn't she still didn't know much air bending yet. She was nowhere near master level.

"I think that it would be a good idea. A battle field is no place for a pregnant woman, believe me I know." said Iroh. He had already lost one son to the war he wouldn't lose another and a daughter as well.

"You can't go!" said Aang as he ran up to her. She couldn't leave him. He still had so much to teach her. If she left he might never see her again. He grabbed Jin's arms and held her tightly. He had to keep her with him. She was the only other air bender he knew.

"Aang!" said Katara as she gently tried to pull him from Jin. Iroh had a point. In two months Jin would be much bigger and she also wasn't a master level bender like them, minus Sokka but he was the idea guy. It was better to hide her in some safe place than have her meet up with them when it was over.

"You could always bring her with and make a hole or something for her to hide in and then come and get her when it was over. Hide me there too; I kind of can't go back to the Fire Nation until Azula and the Fire Lord are both dad, or gone, or deposed. By teaching you chi-blocking I kind of committed high treason." Said Ty-Lee as she stretched out. She didn't fell too bad about it, it was for the greater good. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to help Aang kill the Fire Lord. Well, if he did it right. If not he'd kill the Fire Lord in a very slow and painful way from the inside.

"Yeah, that's what I'll do. You can live in a hole until the eclipse and the invasion. Then you'll be safe." Said Aang not really thinking about the logistics of having Jin live in a hole for two months. Everyone looked worriedly at him.

"I just meant until the invasion was over." Said Ty-Lee. Aang didn't seem to hear her.

"I don't want to live in a hole." Said Jin. She felt bad about leaving him. He was just a kid without anybody. Sure she was an air bender but she had been born and raised in the earth kingdom. Her people were everywhere. He was a monk and his people were long dead.

"Lee and Uncle are coming with us, Aang. I'm sure that they'll hide her somewhere safe." Said Katara reassuringly before Aang started bending holes all over the place. Katara put a reassuring hand on his back and he let go of Jin.

"But what about Azula? What if she finds Jin? Gaoling isn't exactly in the middle of nowhere and they're pretty friendly with the Fire Nation." Said Toph playing devil's advocate. Her family did a lot of business with both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom traders. There weren't soldiers on every corner or spies everywhere like in Ba Sing Se but it wasn't exactly a small town in the middle of nowhere.

"Toph, you're not exactly helping. Besides, I don't think Azula's in any shape to be fighting anybody. She did kind of explode after all." Said Katara. Azula was still in one piece but from what Katara had seen she was pretty burned everywhere. In a split second of desperation she had wanted to heal Azula just to end the agony she must have been in but Uncle had picked her up and carried her away. He was surprisingly strong for a man his age.

"Don't ever underestimate Azula." Said Iroh. He had no doubt that at this moment his niece was mounting a search for them even in her state. She wouldn't let something like horrific burns and chi damage stop her from carrying out what Ozai had told her to do. She would do anything to please her father.

"If I do come with you? Then what? I can't become a master air bender in two months!" said Jin. She knew that the Fire Lord would have to be defeated but it didn't have to be by her. She barely knew any chi-blocking and most of her air bending was adapted fire bending forms.

"But you can learn a whole lot if you train really hard. Please Jin, you can't go! I can't lose you!" said Aang. Katara rubbed reassuring circles onto his back. She was torn between what was right for the group and what was right for Aang.

"Fine, I'll stay." Said Jin. She just didn't want Aang to be upset anymore. Lee looked at her. He didn't want her to stay and just that morning they had decided to leave. What had changed?

"Alright, now that we've got that out of the way we need a place to hide. This place is pretty secluded but we need food. I'll have to see how the hunting is around here; we're really not near any towns. We're pretty far from the bay where we'll meet the invasion force too, that could be a real problem." Said Sokka getting to the next order of business as fast as possible. He didn't want a pregnant woman in the middle of the battle but they could revisit that later. The hiding her in a hole idea might work.

"We can spend a few days here to recuperate but then we must leave. I know of several places in the Fire Nation we may be able to hide." Said Iroh. Piandao would surely put them up for a while and if not there were some uninhabited islands they could stay at for a few weeks.

"The Fire Nation! Sure, we'll hide from the Fire Lord in the Fire Nation! Maybe even in his palace!" said Sokka. Lee looked at Uncle Mushi for a while. He didn't look senile.

"Don't yell at Uncle Mushi." Said Jin reaching for the silk fan at her side. She had bought it vaguely thinking that she needed a weapon. She'd have to try it out later. Sokka put his hands up defensively.

"Uncle, are you sure that's wise? I mean, I'm pretty memorable and all. Wouldn't people recognize us?" asked Lee. It seemed like a terrible idea to him. He had a giant comet shaped scar across his face, people were bound to notice it. Aang had blue arrows tattooed everywhere and Sokka and Katara were obviously water tribe.

"Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight." Said Iroh. They should be fine if they stayed away from the Palace City. Zuko hadn't ventured away from it as a child and nobody outside the Palace City knew where he had gotten his scar. Even on a place like Ember Island he probably wouldn't be recognized.

"I'm with Uncle. He'll never think to look for us there." Said Toph

"Well, you're the general, Uncle." Said Lee. He realized what he had said right after he said it. Uncle was a general. He had been important, very important. But he had lost the will to fight after his son died. Poor Uncle. Poor cousin…cousin…Lu-Ten.

"You're a general?" asked Jin. She didn't know that Uncle Mushi had been in the military. That would explain how he knew so much about strategy and bending and fighting and all that.

"You remembered that?" asked Iroh. Lee nodded. Iroh was happy; Katara had set him on the path to remembering. Not that he was doubting her healing abilities or anything. He had just worried that she had pushed too hard and caused him to shut that part of him out. Now he knew that what Jin said was true. He was going to have Zuko back.

"Yeah. You used to be a general but now you make tea. I used to be a prince but now I serve tea. Can we get on with the planning now?" said Lee in a tone which said that he really didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to get them all riled up over him again.

"I used to be a seamstress but now I'm going to be a queen." Muttered Jin introspectively. Wow. It hadn't really sunk in before. Fire Lady, Sky Lady, it didn't matter. She was going to be a queen. Wow.

"Air nomads don't really have royalty. There were elder monks and nuns at each temple but nothing like the Fire Lord or the Earth King." Said Aang. It just felt…wrong…to him for one person to rule over all the air nomads. They had never had a real leader, even back when they followed the sky bison herds.

"Not entirely true. There hasn't been a Sky Lord or Lady in almost a thousand years, this is before the temples were built. Jin, do you plan on taking up the title? I suppose that you couldn't be Fire Lady since you are an air bender." asked Iroh sagely. Aang shook his head. Uncle was just confused; air nomads had always either followed the sky bison or living in temples.

"Well, it would make sense. I mean, like you said I can't really fire bend and all. Yes, I think I'll call myself the Sky Lady and the air temples can be the Sky Nation now." Said Jin. When this was over there were probably going to be more air benders making themselves known now that they wouldn't be hunted down and all. Aang stared at her. He was all for repopulating the temples but they were monks and nuns, not a country.

"We're not a nation, nomads can't be a nation. We're just simple monks and nuns." Said Aang. He was beginning to sweat now. He wanted to make things as he remembered them. He was prepared to make concessions like people could have babies whenever they wanted and maybe they could even eat meat but he wasn't going to get rid of the temples all together.

"Aang's freaking out again." Said Toph. The earth around him was giving off all sort of panicky vibrations and the wind was even shifting. To be fair that may not have been him.

"Do you want to be in charge?" asked Jin dreading the answer. She wanted to be queen of the air benders. She envisioned herself covered in jewels as she flew around on her very own flying bison. A pink one. Alright, back to reality.

"No but-" said Aang. Jin cut him off. Somebody had to be in charge and it was going to be her. With Uncle Mushi advising her on how to run a country she'd be fine. A country with only two people was still a country.

"I don't think that people are going to want to live in temples. Whatever air benders that there are left are going to be upset enough about the whole genocide of their people thing. They won't be happy that Jin is my wife but they'll feel better that they're part of their own nation. People like to feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves." Said Lee speaking practically. He knew that he wouldn't want to wake up one day and be told that he had to go live in a temple and stop living the way he had been living for generations.

"I just want things to go back to the way they were." Said Aang sadly. It sunk in for everyone. To them it had been a hundred years ago that there had been air benders flying all over the place and living in their temples. To Aang it had only been a few months.

"That can't happen. The only thing you can do is accept this and move forward. Sure they're all gone but so will we all be someday. They world will keep on turning and turning with or without us. What matters is what we chose to do with the time we have left on this crazy planet." Said Ty-Lee as she crossed her legs behind her head. Everyone looked at her.

"That was deep." Said Toph breaking the silence. Everyone nodded. Ty-Lee shrugged. It made sense to her.

"Yeah." Said Lee quietly. Lee thought about what she said. Was he using his time wisely? He felt like he should have done more, learned more. Azula was his younger sister and she outshined him at fire bending and just about everything else. Well, not any more but still. Even Jin outshined him. She had learned form after form and even adapted it to her bending. He felt jealousy creep in and shook his head. Lee wasn't jealous of Jin; he loved her and was happy about her accomplishments. Zuko wasn't, though. He was tired of everyone being better than him at everything.

"Think about it. If there's an air nation the remaining benders and non-benders descended form air nomads will flock to it. They can even form an army to protect themselves in case someone wants to finish what was started a hundred years ago." Said Iroh. An Air Nation coupled with a Fire Nation would be perfect. Air and Fire married elementally and physically. Air fueled fire after all.

"How can there be an air army? Air benders are peaceful. All air bending is avoiding and defending. That's negative jin. There's positive jin when you attack and neutral jin when you don't do anything and eighty two other kinds that Bumi didn't tell me about." Said Aang. Sure he could throw air but there weren't any offensive bending forms.

"And there's Zuko's wife, Jin." Said Sokka waiting for the inevitabke laughter that never came. Everyone gave him a look. He could swear he heard cricket mice in the background. Toph shook her head.

"Once again not the time, Snoozles, not the time." said Toph. Sokka's face fell but then assumed a look of utter seriousness.

"Offensive air bending is possible, believe me." Said Lee rubbing a phantom pain in his back. He had vague memories of being slammed into walls. Not to mention all the times Jin practiced moving air before she really knew what she was doing. The fact that she had to practice indoors with all the shutters closed didn't help.

"Well, I can't believe my parents named me after energy. Why not just call me Bender or Bending? Anyway, air bending can be used for fighting, watch." Said Jin she took out her fan and gave it a wave. She focused her bending out from her through the fan. A strong gust of wind sent Aang high into the air. He landed softly.

"That wasn't really a bending form but alright, I guess. At least you didn't use fire bending forms again. I guess an Air Nation would be alright, I guess. If it'll make the other air benders feel better about revealing themselves." Said Aang. At this point he just wanted to meet some more of his people. He didn't want to feel so alone.

"Well, I guess that I could work on some more air bending, I guess." Laughed Jin. Aang rubbed the back of his head. She didn't mean anything mean by that. She was making him feel nervous, though. Almost like Katara.

"So we're staying here for a little bit and then hiding in the Fire Nation. I'm against it but if Uncle thinks it's alright I'll give it a try. I'm guessing that since you're a general then you'll have people who can hide us." Said Sokka. Iroh nodded. Piandao could be persuaded if things didn't go smoothly. The White Lotus didn't usually get involved in things like the war but now with the impending genocide of the Water Tribes things were changing. A hundred years ago it had been used to wipe out the air nomads.

"Doesn't anyone think it's weird that we keep calling him Uncle? He's not our Uncle. No offense, Uncle." Said Ty-Lee as she finished limbering up. She felt great. They had a plan and when this was all over she was going to rejoin the circus.

"You know, I didn't notice." Said Sokka. Katara nodded in agreement. She hadn't even thought of him as a general or Zuko's uncle, he was more like a village elder than anything.

"I don't mind." Said Iroh. He actually like knowing that these children thought of him like that. It was, very nice.

"Why don't we do some more chi-blocking now?" said Ty-Lee. She needed to teach Aang as much as possible as soon as possible. Sokka groaned.

"Can't you guys jab someone else for a change?" asked Sokka. Ty-Lee flipped to a more open space and motioned for him to come over.

"Nope." Said Ty-Lee. Sokka threw his arms up in frustration and went over to her. He was gettingsick of losing feeling in various parts of his body.

Deep in the Fire Lord's work room Fire Lord Ozai was enjoying a piece of candied ginger and some soothing tea. Ba Sing Se had fallen, according to the last messenger hawk he had gotten. He expected Azula to be home with his son and brother shortly. Azula had never failed him before.

"M-My Lord, I have a message from our intelligence in Ba Sing Se." said a very, very nervous messenger. He hated being the bearer of bad news. Ozai looked up impassively. This had better be good news.

"Yes? You may proceed." Said Ozai. The messenger gulped. He remembered what happened to the last bearer of bad news.

"You-Your daughter, Princess Azula, lost the Avatar." Gulped out the messenger. Ozai exhaled flames under his breath. Something must have happened. There must have been extenuating circumstances, Azula was the good one.

"Is there anything else?" asked Ozai. Azula had better come home with Zuko and Iroh in chains if she wanted even a sliver of forgiveness. She would still never be the same in his eyes. Perhaps another heir was in order…

"General Iroh and Exhile Zuko were also seen escaping with the Avatar with an unknown girl possibly a Fire Nation defector." Said the messenger. He prayed to Agni the Ozai was feeling merciful for the first time in his life.

"Leave me!" screamed Ozai. The messenger scuttled out of the room as it erupted in flames. One thing was for certain, Azula would pay.

Azula babbled deliriously in her bed in Ba Sing Se. Mai had the Dai Li make and earth platform and take them home. Even at top speed without rest or thoughts of safety it had taken almost an entire day. After that Azula had been rushed to a healer and then sedated as her burned were treated. The prognosis was bad. She had almost destroyed her chi paths when she tried to generate lightening and was paralyzed. The chi had flooded within her, thankfully it was away from her heart, and had erupted from her.

"Stop laughing at me!" screamed Azula at the tapestry hanging on the wall. Mai held her best friend's heavily bandaged hand. The sun was just making its trek across the night sky, it had been a long night. Azula had been yelling and babbling erratically throughout the night.

"I'm not laughing at you, Azula, no one else is here." Said Mai softly. She had lost her two best friends in the world. Ty-Lee might not have been a die-hard foaming at the mouth Fire Nation loyalist but she would never commit high treason. They must have tortured chi-blocking out of her. She wouldn't have believe that before but she had almost been buried alive before the Avatar went on to slaughter so many Dai Li.

"Zuko…he's laughing….with that traitor fire bender girl." Said Azula as she began to gnaw at her other arm. She could see Zuko there laughing at her. He took mother from her. Uncle had always liked him better than her. He got the knife of the surrendering general and all she got was some worthless doll he could have bought anywhere off the street. An Earth Kingdom doll no less.

"Zuko's not laughing at you…he's not even Zuko anymore." Said Mai softly. She had read the Dai Li's report. They had taken everything that was Zuko from him and made him into Lee. All in an effort to find other Fire Nation defectors. This was Iroh's fault. Everything was Iroh's fault.

"So is mother. Mother's laughing. Stop laughing at me!" yelled Azula as she began to thrash. Mai held her down with all her strength. She could feel tears escaping from the corners of her eyes. Iroh had given up after his son died. Iroh had let Zuko into the war room. Iroh had traveled with Zuko for those three long years. Iroh had brought Zuko to Ba Sing Se.

"No one's laughing, Azula." Said Mai. Ty-Lee was gone, maybe even dead. She hoped that Ty-Lee had escaped, maybe even run back to the circus. Zuko was practically dead, everything that was Zuko was gone. Azula was…gone. She had completely lost her mind. Mai didn't blame her. Azula had never been all the way right, even when they were children. The stress of failing at something this big coupled with losing Ty-Lee and her bending had broken her mind. With time her bending would return; thought nowhere near what once was.

"Always laughing at the failure." Cried Azula. She was a failure. Everyone was laughing at her. She was a failure. She was Zuko.

Aang was once again practicing his chi blocking. It was all he seemed to be doing nowadays. It was an uncharacteristic seriousness from him. He knew he had to face the Fire Lord and he didn't want to kill him. He had been making progress with this, fast progress. Maybe he had been a chi blocker in one of his past lives. He snuck a glance over at Jin. She was making whirlpools in the water with her air bending. She was amazing. Not like Katara, nobody could compare to Katara.

"If this eclipse thing doesn't work out you could always pretend to be the Avatar." Said Lee. It was miraculous, it actually looked like she was water bending. True it had taken all morning to perfect this but it was still amazing.

"Avatar Jin, it has a nice ring to it." Said Jin as she attempted to bring the whirlpool up. She just managed to splash herself and Lee.

"Avatar Sky Lady Jin, of the Sky Nation." Said Lee. Jin giggled and attempted to blow dry him. She only managed to make his hair stand on its own accord. He gave her a look and smoothed it down.

"Sorry, Lee." Said Jin as she attempted to blow-dry herself. It didn't go so well. She was good at moving air but not so good at moving the air currents around herself.

"It's alright." Said Lee as Jin rung some remaining water out of her hair. He generated some fire in the pal of his hand and attempted to swirl it around like a whirlpool. It took him a minute to get it. It was like Uncle Mushi said, masters often got set in their ways.

"Let me help." Said Jin. She put some air into it and they began to move in unison. Their fire tornado still needed some work but it would be quite impressive if they kept practicing. Iroh watched closely. He wondered if now was a better time to return to lightening redirecting lessons. Zuko would definitely be more receptive now.

"Nephew, I believe we must continue our lessons." Said Iroh suddenly. Just because Azula was out of commission didn't mean Ozai was. He could still generate lightening among other things. He didn't want to lose Zuko.

"Sure thing, Uncle Mushi. I think I've got the armadillo-bear's paw set done." Said Lee. Alright, he wasn't exactly a master yet. He was getting there. Jin followed them. Fire and air were pretty similar elements.

"No, I think we'll be doing some reviews today." Said Iroh. Lee inwardly groaned. He didn't have time to be reviewing things he already knew. The eclipse was coming in two short months. He had to get as much as humanly possible done by then. Even Aang understood that they were on a deadline, and he was the flightiest kid Lee knew.

"But Uncle, we don't have time to review." Said Lee. Jin nodded in agreement. They only had two months to learn as much as they could. Even Aang and the rest of the group were throwing themselves into learning as much chi blocking as they could.

"This could very well save your life someday. I'm going to be teaching you how to redirect lightening." Said Iroh. Lee remembered, vaguely, his Uncle trying to teach him. Then there was something about a storm and lightening and then it all got muddled.

"You're going to throw lightening at us? Isn't that kind of dangerous?" asked Jin nervously. Lee shared her worry but for a different reason. He remembered that Uncle Mushi refused to shoot lightening at him and that made him run away into the storm. Still, how was he going to learn to redirect lightening without practicing it?

"No, I will teach Lee the proper form to redirect lightening. I'm afraid that your air bending will not be able to transfer to this particular skill." Said Iroh. Jin looked crestfallen. Lee grasped her hand in his. There was still plenty of stuff she could do that he couldn't.

"How am I going to learn to redirect lightening if I can't even generate it?" asked Lee. Another thing that Azula could do that he couldn't. Zuko got pleasure in the fact that Jin, who excelled at bending, wouldn't be able to learn this. Lee wanted to kick himself for even daring to think like that.

"Generating lightening and redirecting it are two different things which share the same root. Much like branches on a tree. You must clear your mind and separate out the energies within yourself for both. With lightening you must have a clear mind and target. When redirecting lightening you must also have a clear mind but you must also be receptive. There will be a push and pull of the energies within you. You must separate them out." Said Iroh giving him the severally abridged version.

"Shouldn't Aang learn this too? What if he can't beat the Father Lord before the eclipse is over?" said Lee. Aang was the most important person out of all of them. He needed to at least live through this. If he died the next Avatar would be born into the water tribe. The Fire Nation would then go onto destroy the water tribes.

"Fire Lord." Said Toph as she picked her toes again. The first time was for cleaning, the second time was for the sweet picking feeling. Lee felt himself go red as he turned to her.

"That's what I said!" said Lee with uncharacteristic anger. Now he got the groups attention. He felt his anger ebb quickly.

"Touchy." Said Toph. Lee felt bad about yelling at the little blind girl even if she was the greatest earth bender in the world. Toph didn't really care. She was surprised that Lee yelled at her. That must have been Zuko.

"Sorry Toph." Said Lee with a respectful bow, he got the feeling she could at least sense it. She got up and punched him playfully in the arm.

"It's alright." Said Toph. Aang jumped high in the air and landed next to Lee. He heard his name and the word learn. He was so sick of learning stuff! He just wanted to take a day off but he knew he couldn't. The eclipse was coming whether or not he was ready.

"What do I have to learn now?" asked Aang in a slightly exasperated tone. Sokka came over slowly, the world seemed to be turning faster than normal.

"How to redirect lightening." Said Lee. He stood by what he said on Appa; Aang needed to spend less time worrying about girls and more time cramming every single bit of knowledge he could into his tattooed skull.

"I don't even know how to fire bend." Said Aang wringing his hands together. He felt bad that he had hurt Katara but he knew he had to let that go. He had managed to do just that. He wasn't ashamed of that now but he knew that fire bending was dangerous. He could hurt her again or someone else.

"Oh dear." Said Iroh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Jeong-Jeong had reported that he had instructed the Avatar in rudimentary fire bending. He hoped that Aang could at least produce a flame. Why did the spirits continue to torment him?

"Why does he need fire bending anyway? There's going to be an eclipse." Said Sokka as he sat down. They had blocked off another one of his chi paths, this one having to do with balance. It felt like one and only the time he tried sake.

"The eclipse is only going to be for a few minutes." said Katara. She wasn't wild about Aang learning fire bending but it made sense to at least learn the blocks. There was only an eight minuet window to defeat the Fire Lord. Aang had to find the guy and then get close enough to permanently take away his bending. He had to do that perfectly too or else he could kill the Fire Lord in the worst way imaginable.

"Alright, let's get learning." Said Aang before a debate could get started. It was like Sokka said; sometimes a man had to do things that he didn't particularly like but were better for everyone. He had to be more of a man. Katara liked Haru and Jet, they were pretty manly.

Iroh began to teach Aang and Zuko all he knew of redirecting lightening. He started with the basics of the energies within them all and worked from there. He thanked the spirits that this was going well, much better than he could have imagined. Aang watched him with rapt attention. He felt bad for the boy. He was only twelve or maybe thirteen. The previous Avatars were all told who they were at sixteen with good reason. When they finally got to the motion of it everyone joined in, even Sokka who couldn't even bend. Eventually they all decided to take a food break. All in all it was going rather well.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Writers block is over sorry for the long wait. School and the new Korra series has kept me pretty busy but I'm back now. This is not a dead fic; I have several ending thunking around in my head. Many of them good ones, too! It's getting there that I'm getting stuck on. I'm sorry this is so short but I've been becoming increasingly swamped lately.

-Why I do so much with the Gaang just hanging around and so few action scenes: My favorite parts of the series are mostly when the gang is either just hanging out or working through some problem they have. They have a genuine friendship that isn't seen that often in shows, animate or not. I like how we're not just introduced to these characters as "Oh, they're friends now." There are actual things they work through. I'm trying to show that Jin, Zuko, Iroh, and Ty-Lee are integrating into the Gaang.

-Aang: I'm trying to write Aang as a twelve going on thirteen year old who, in the course of less than a year to him, has lost his entire people and now has to both come to term with being the Avatar and defeat the most evil man on the planet. He's clingy to Jin because she's the only other air bender he's met so far and he feels that if she leaves him he may never see him again.

"Where are we going?" asked Azula crossly as they rode in their carriage. Admittedly, there were better ways of travelling but if they had requisitioned a war balloon everbody would know something was up.

"We're just going on a little trip around the Earth Kingdom." Said Mai in her normal impassive way. She handed another cup of the special tea that had been made for Azula. It was mainly catacus juice with a few other things. It kept her mostly there. Mostly.

"We should be finding the Avatar!" said Azula slurring a little. She grasped the cup in shaky bandaged hands and took another sip. She had to find the Avatar so she could go home. Through the hazy fog of her mind she knew father would never accept her back without the Avatar alive and Zuko, dead of alive.

"That's what we're doing." Whispered Mai with a glace to the carriage driver. He was busy singing some song about a cave full of lovers or something. The Earth Kingdom was weird.

"We're going too slo-ow!" moaned Azula kicking her feet. Mai gave a long suffering sigh.

"We're going to see the Northern Air Temple, it's not too far from here." Said Mai. They couldn't requisition a war balloon from the Fire Nation so they had to do the next best thing. The war balloon was invented by the people living in the northern air temple and they had better give or make them one.

"I don't wanna climb." Moan Azula as she but her bandaged hand. Stupid bandages, she couldn't fire bend like this. She had to practice. She had to be perfect.

"Stop that, you'll just hurt yourself. We're not going to climb; we're going to have them come to us." Said Mai. They had messenger hawks and if that didn't work they would climb. If only Ty-Lee was there. They couldn't contact the Fire Lord because he'd call them home and punish Azula for her failure. She shuddered as she remembered what happened to the last one of the Fire Lord's offspring who failed him. Also, they couldn't let anyone Ty-Lee was gone.

"I wanna find Zu-Zu. I bet you do too!" laughed Azula, spilling her tea. Mai glared at the accursed drink. Still, this was better than crazy try and bite people when Fire bending didn't work Azula.

"No, I'm over him." said Mai blankly. Zuko was gone anyway. Gone to that traitor fire bender girl. Taken by the Dai Li. Azula looked very happy at this. Now Mai could be with her forever. Not like mother. Not like Zuko.

"Good, you're too good for him anyway. Now when we find Ty-Lee we can all be together and burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground." Said Azula. She hated this place. It took cousin Lu-Ten from her, it took Zuko from her, and it took her success from her. She was going to get Ty-Lee back though.

"One thing at a time." said Mai. She was going to find the Avatar, pin him to a tree, force feed him meat, and shove wood splinters up his nails until he told her what he did to Ty-Lee. Before she would have said that the Avatar was just a goofy kid who didn't have it in him to hurt anyone but now…all those Dai Li. He must have tortured chi-blocking out of Ty-Lee. She might not even have been alive. Mai gripped the seat as a wave of anger passed over her.

"You're right." Said Azula. Mai looked at her in disguised shock. She when this was all over she'd find a way to fix Azula. Azula began to blow fire from her mouth. It wasn't what it was, and not blue, but it was still better than before. She needed a chi healer. Mai exhaled and watched Azula as she tried to create flame from her hands. She only succeeded on setting herself on fire again. Mai put it out. Azula was grateful to have such a loyal friend like Mai.

"No, you're still doing it wrong." Said Ty-Lee. Aang was jabbing at a dummy made of earth that was mean to symbolize the Fire Lord. Ty-Lee was reaching the end of her very limited patience. They had been hiding I this hot spring for two weeks. She didn't like staying in one place for too long, it made her antsy.

"What do you mean? I've been jabbing in the same spots you told me to all day!" said Aang. He ran a hand through his very short black hair. In an effort to blend in more he had stopped shaving it.

"You're taking too long between blocks. You said you didn't want to kill him, right?" asked Ty-Lee. Aang turned around and banged his head against a tree. He was tired of training he just wanted to take a few days off.

"Of course I don't want to kill him." said Aang. Ty-Lee gave him a long look. Then why wasn't he doing it right? They had gone over it a thousand times. She was trying her best to teach him, at least in theory, how this was done.

"Then we have to keep training." Said Ty-Lee. She could see the stress in his aurora. She wanted to take a break as much as he did but this was important. She then remembered Azula and how hard she was pushed as a child.

"I've been training my arrow off!" said Aang his eyebrow twitching. Katara came over in her water bending outfit. Aang immediately calmed down.

"On second thought, why don't we take a break?" said Ty-Lee. Aang looked over joyed. Lee and Jin overheard them. These had been two weeks of intense training for the eclipse.

"Uncle, can we take a break too?" asked Lee. He had been going over advance fire bending formations for days, he was exhausted. There was a nagging voice in his head telling him that he had to push himself harder, to be the best. Then there was the other part of him that just wanted to make tea. Maybe he could be the best at making tea.

"There can be benefits to a bit of rest." Said Iroh. Truly he was also getting tired of this grueling pace. Still he wanted Zuko to be prepared to fight Ozai during the comet if it didn't work out during the eclipse.

"Break time!" yelled Jin as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Aang had been trying to teach her to regulate the air currents around her body so she wouldn't feel too hot or too cold. After this would come flying lessons. So far she could just make a lot of wind around herself.

"Finally!" said Toph as she flopped down onto the earth and made an earth angel. She had been practicing her mud and sand bending. It was going well. She didn't ever want to be caught blind again like she was in the desert.

"I'm going to take a relaxing nap." Said Iroh as he laid down on his bed roll. He was beginning to feel his age; trying to cram all of advanced fire bending into Zuko's head before the eclipse. It was still going better than it would have before. Later on he'd have to teach him the true fire bending but now there simply wasn't enough time.

"You do that, Uncle, you need your rest." Said Lee. Poor Uncle, at least he was doing his best to be a good student. He had vague memories of yelling at his Uncle and calling him names. Another part of him, the part he tried to lock away, wanted to do just that. This was taking too long. They needed to just learnt he stuff that would they would use to fight the Fire Lord. He knew the lightening bending energy had its uses but why did they need to know all this other stuff?

"As do you, my nephew. A man needs his rest." Said Iroh. Lee felt a flush of pride at being called a man. It didn't make sense though, he had a wife and a kid. Didn't that make him a man?

"Well I am ready to do some more air bending!" said a very pumped up Jin. Sure she was getting tired of all this training but air bending was fun. It was freer than the fire bending forms she was learning and there were things she could do with it other than fight. Like fly. She really wanted to learn to fly.

"Yay…" said a fatigued Aang. He was tired of training and being trained. Normally he would jump at the chance to air bend with Jin but now he just wanted to have a nice sit. With Katara.

"Let's play air ball!" said Jin jumping high into the air and landing next to Aang. Aang smiled and ran over to her. Everyone else groaned. They were sure it was a fun game…if you could air bend. With all the training Aang hadn't gotten around to making it more other element friendly.

"Let's play something everyone can play." Said Katara in a motherly tone. Jin and Lee exchanged a look. He sighed and got up. Rest later, fun with the group now. Ugh…more of either fun or training.

"Underwear bending tournament?" said Jin. Katara turned an odd shade of red. Toph laughed under her breath. Finally, someone said something.

"Katara just doesn't want to get her clothes wet. Besides, she looks fine." Said Aang rubbing the back of his head. Sokka glared at him. Iroh hid an amused smile.

"You've been looking at my sister?" said Sokka in a very serious tone. Aang began to make stuttering noises as he thought of what to say. Lee rolled his golden eyes; thank the spirits he'd never have to chase boys away from Azula. One day she'd point to the unlucky man and say "That one, Daddy." That is if she was alright. Or…not as not alright as he thought.

"No! Of course not!" said Aang panicking under Sokka's glare. A small smile quirked at Sokka's lips. This was too easy. Lee could see where this was going. Didn't he like Toph? Katara was a little old for him, wasn't she?

"So now my sister's not good enough for you?" said Sokka in mock anger. Aang was confused. One second ago that was a bad thing. Uh-oh, everyone was looking at him.

"No, she's not. She good enough for everyone, all the girls are!" said Aang. Katara, Jin, and Ty-Lee exchanged a look. Sokka and Zuko exchanged a look. Aang looked uncomfroatble.

"Um…thanks?" asked Katara suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable. She water bended in her wrapping because it was just easier. Ty-Lee flipped over to them in her under wrapping. Honestly, earth kingdom people were always so wrapped up in layers. They'd melt in the fire nation.

"Oh you Earth Kingdom people." Said Ty-Lee. Jin pulled the air up from under her and Ty-Lee did a graceful flip and landed on her feet.

"Oh you Fire Nation people." Said Jin. Ty-Lee stuck her tongue out. Aang looked Ty-Lee, really looked at her. Her eyes were shaped wrong and her hair was a really light brown. Her face was pretty round too. So were her hips, the way they flared into her waist. Suddenly the ground looked very interesting.

"Hey, she's an air bender. If anyone represents the earth kingdom it's me." Said Toph Lee gave her a mock bow.

"Shall I get you some relaxing tea, oh great representative of the Earth Kingdom? Perhaps some cookies? A relaxing foot rub?" said Lee. Toph laughed and made herself a chair out of the earth.

"Yes, some of the rare white jasmine tea would be nice along with some almond cookies. Nobody goes near my feet though." Said Toph Lee gave another exaggerated bow.

"Oh course, Lady Bei Fong." Said Lee. Everybody laughed. Lee made a good tea server.

"Very good, Prince Zuko." Said Toph. The laughing stopped. Everyone looked at Zuko. He felt his inner fire begin to rage. Jin could feel the heat coming off of her husband.

"Underwear element ball!" yelled Aang as hetossed off his earth kingdom disguise and threw an earth ball at Jin. She caught it with air bending and tried to blow Ty-Lee off her feet. She gracefully avoided it and tried to place a chi blocking jab to Sokka. He dodged it easily.

"Ha! I've learned something too!" said Sokka. Katara pulled some water from the hot springs and soaked everyone. Iroh got up and the water steamed from him.

"And I so wanted to have a nice nap. Oh, well!" said Iroh. He jabbed his nephew and Zuko broke form his stupor. Fun. He liked having fun.

"C'mon Jin, us against them!" said Lee as he pushed some not to hot fire blasts at them. More force than fire really. Jin moved the air against herself and rose into the air on a shaky air cyclone.

"Jin, you can fly!" said Aang overjoyed. Jin wobbled and fell suddenly. Lee felt a flash of terror. He rushed over and tried to catch her. She bent air under herself as a cushion and landed on her feet.

"Lee, I'm fine." Said Jin as she brushed herself off with air bending. Lee felt the familiar anger, she could have gotten hurt. Why did she have to be so reckless?

"You could have gotten hurt!" said Lee angrily. The water that covered him steamed away. Jin stood at her full height. She was fine. He could see she was fine.

"I'm fine! Look, no concussions or contusions." Said Jin Lee let out a long exhale in an attempt to calm himself down. He knew that Jin could air bend but he didn't want her needlessly putting herself in danger like that.

"You could have gotten hurt!" said Lee. Jin got close to him and blew him down. Lee kicked the ground with frustration and went off to let off some steam before he said something he'd regret. Why was he so angry? He was never this angry with Jin.

"Well, fun time's over. Back to training." Said Sokka. He went back to practicing throwing boomerang. Everyone shrugged. It was better than waiting for Zuko to come back and be the angry jerk again.

"I'm the second greatest air bender in the world and he's not going to forget it." Muttered Jin. How dare he? She could air bend just fine. She might not have mastered classic air bending but she invented Jin style air bending. She huffed away to practice. She'd show him and he'd never doubt her again.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Sorry for the wait but I've been super, super busy. Midterms and practice midterms and midterm essays. College, don't ya love it?

Mai and Azula had been travelling for days when they reached a village which held some promise. A young grey eyed brown haired girl and a fat old man with golden eyes bought a large amount of supplies and then left on foot. Very peculiar. The girl had also bought two orange silk fans, a green fan, and some yellow thread. Mai didn't know why this would be of interest but she stored it away for later. it would do no good to chase the Avatar, even with their new ostrich horses a sky bison was faster. The only thing they could do was wait. Mai hated waiting and not only because it was boring.

"We should burn that village to the ground." Said Azula her eyes now in focus. The fog had largely left her head and for that she was grateful. She still couldn't bend like she used to.

"Why? They didn't do anything to us." Said Mai keeping her tone impassive. She had to tread carefully, Azula was coming back and everything set her off when she was back.

"Because they exist." Said Azula picking up a branch. She focused and it soon began to smoke. With some more effort it caught on fire.

"That's not a good reason." Said Mai. The last thing they needed was Azula to become a homicidal maniac. She could barely deal with a regular maniac.

"We got rid of the air benders because they existed. Well, most of them." said Azula

"They air benders were mounting an attack on the Fire Nation. They had spent the summer weakening us with hurricanes like Avatar Kyoshi did." said Mai. Avatar Kyoshi had brought down a hurricane which drowned thousands of Fire Nation citizens during Chin the Conquerors time because the Fire Nation had supported him. The air nomads weren't happy about a Fire Nation Avatar so they had decided to finish what Kyoshi had started. Sozin had gotten rid of them to save them all.

"That's just a spirit tale they feed you in school." Laughed Azula. Mai looked at her with barely impassive eyes. The Fire Nation wouldn't destroy an entire culture for no reason. They wanted to spread their prosperity with the world. The Earth Kingdom was too stubborn to let them and the Water Tribes were barbarians living in the dark.

"So what really happened?" asked Mai deciding that these were just more of Azula's crazy ramblings.

"Sozin wanted to get rid of the Avatar, dum-dum." Said Azula childishly

"So why not just get rid of him?" asked Mai with a sigh. Poor Azula, not making sense any more. Mai didn't believe all the spirit tales she had been told as a child but she knew that destroying an entire culture would definitely anger the spirits.

"Because they didn't know who he was, obviously." Said Azula. Poor Mai, poor uninformed Mai. Mai was her only friend, she needed to know the truth.

"Well, we do now." Said Mai. Azula got a dark look that made Mai uneasy.

"Yes, we do." Said Azula. He took Ty-Lee from them so it was only fitting that they send him to the spirit world permanently. Nobody stole from Azula.

"Well we shouldn't kill him, he'll just be reborn in the water tribes." Said Mai. She might not have been the Avatar's ally she still knew that wiping out entire people wasn't going to help anything.

"Then we'll have to get rid of all the water barbarians too. When it was clear that the Avatar wasn't reborn into the water tribes we started the raids on the south. The North managed to defend its self too well." Said Azula tasking failure on her lips. They were all a bunch of failures for letting the North win. Zuko and Uncle were traitor failures for helping the Avatar win and then joining him.

"What'll happen when there's nobody left for you to rule over?" asked Mai. Azula cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" asked Azula. There would always be somebody there to bow to her. Like Mai, Mai would always be there.

"There aren't any more air nomads and you seem to plan on wiping out the water tribes. I'm assuming that the earth kingdom will be next. The population of the Fire Nation won't fill the entire world if there even are enough people left to have babies after all this is over." Said Mai. She was walking the traitor's line and she knew it. She couldn't let Azula formulate these crazy plans. People would listen and then they'd kill off everyone and themselves in the process. Wars had casualties on both sides. Azula let her hair out of its top knot and began to braid it.

"Well then I'm ordering you to have a baby right now. You too, Sky-Lee." Said Azula pointing to her ostrich horse.

"Sky-Lee?" asked Mai in a tone she'd take when dealing with Tom-Tom. Azula gave up on her hair and began to set more sticks on fire.

"Yes, because the Avatar stole Ty-Lee from us. Sky-Lee will be with us forever." Said Azula as she tried to make the blue flame. She only managed to exacerbate the pain in her arms and exhaust herself.

"Right." Said Mai as she sat Azula down. It was time for more burn salve. Poor Azula, her arms looked like Zuko's face. Zuko…he was gone. Lee was in his place. He was gone to that traitor girl.

"What's wrong?" asked Azula as she enjoyed the burn salve. She didn't show the pain she was in, she wasn't Zuko crying out for mother, but she enjoyed the cooling sensation.

"Nothing." Said Mai as she worked on her friend. Azula wasn't buying that. Mai was her friend, she could read her like a book. A stone faced book but a book none the less.

"Nothing or something?" said Azula. Mai let out a long suffering sigh. It did no good to lie to Azula and it might even set her off.

"We have to return to the Fire Nation and wait them out. They're probably hiding in some remote place until the eclipse." Said Mai as worked her fingers on Azula's other arm. They needed to get to a port and procure a ship…and then pray that the Fire Lord wasn't too hard on Azula for her failure. Maybe he'd see how hurt she was and have mercy….and maybe a wild hog-monkey would fly out of her ear.

"Dad's gonna kill me…really he is." Said Azula in a quite voice. She couldn't go home without the Avatar and her worthless brother in chains…maybe that traitor girl too for good measure.

"He doesn't have to know you're back." said Mai. She knew what the Avatar was planning and had sent word to the Fire Lord. All that was they had to do was find the Avatar and his little group and stop them before they could go through with their half-baked invasion plan. Azula would come out the hero and the heir the Fire Lord wanted. Everyone would live happily ever after.

"Again." Said Iroh. A visibly exhausted Zuko went through the advanced fire bender set again.

"Uncle, I did it exactly the way you demonstrated." Said Zuko after he finished it a second a time. Traing, training, and more training. He was getting so sick of training.

"If you had, I wouldn't have had you do it again." Said Iroh. It would have been so much easier to just have Zuko go to meet the older masters but that wasn't going to happen for a while due to obvious reasons.

"You're form is still kind of sloppy. Here, like this." Said Jin as she went through the motions. Zuko exhaled a small amount of fire in anger.

"You're not even a fire bender!" huffed Zuko angrily. Where had that come from?

"Why are you yelling so much?!" yelled Jin. She was hurt, Lee never yelled at her. Lately he had been yelling at everyone.

"I don't know!" said Zuko running his hands through his hair. He had been feeling like a volcano ready to erupt for days now. Mainly at Jin. Everything came so easy to her.

"Well, can you stop?!" said Jin. Everyone wisely decided to stay out of this argument. It was like an oil fire, it just had to burn it's self out. Everyone but Aang that is.

"Guys, calm down. You love each other; people who love each other shouldn't fight." Said Aang being forever the peace keeper.

"Actually, I think it's healthy to let off a little steam now and then." Said Toph helpfully. Everyone was on edge, she could feel it through their vibrations. It was best to let the anger out in little bursts before someone lost it and charred everyone to a crisp.

"It would be best to let them work this out themselves." Said Iroh in his sagely way. Aang wasn't going to let them go on like this; people who loved each other shouldn't fight.

"There's nothing to out! I'm going for a walk." Said Lee. He stomped off down the old, beaten path. He needed to collect his thoughts and get back to normal. Aang was right, people who loved each other shouldn't fight. He was a peaceful person, where was all this coming from?

"Well I'm going to practice bending! You shouldn't be mad just because I get it better than you do!" said Jin. She wasn't sure if she was angry out of her own accord or if it was the baby. Poor Teiji, having to hear his parents fight.

"Let's all have some calming tea." Said Iroh. Everyone rolled their eyes, even Toph. Tea! Iroh didn't know how to feel; on the one hand he was getting Zuko back, on the other hand he was getting Zuko back.

"You guys drink your tea, I'm going to talk to Lee." Said Aang heading off in the direction Zuko went. Katara held out her arm and stopped Aang before he could take three steps.

"Aang, he just needs some time to calm down." Said Katara. Well, they were getting Zuko back now. Either that or he was just angry…for a few days…constantly…

"Katara, he's been mad for a while. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to." Said Aang in his best sage voice. He actually sounded a little bit like Iroh there, all that was missing was the big belly and long beard. He went off in the direction Zuko went. He found Zuko kicking a tree before he accidently set it on fire.

"What's wrong with me?!" yelled Zuko. The fire reacted to him and got even hotter. It rose into the sky and Aang put it out with air bending.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Aang. Lee jumped at the sound of Aang's voice. He just wanted to be alone.

"Don't sneak up on me! Where did you come from!" said Zuko. Aang gave a cheeky smile.

"I'm from the Southern Air Temple but I was born in the Western Air Temple, and I wasn't sneaking. I just thought you could use someone to talk to." Said Aang cheekily. Zuko gave him a long look, he wasn't in the mood for this.

"Well, I don't." said Zuko crossly. Aang shook his head.

"C'mon, I'm the Avatar. If I can't help you nobody can." Said Aang. Zuko looked at him for a while before exhaling deeply. Breathing always calmed him down, just a little bit. Lee looked at Aang and saw the sincerity in his grey eyes.

"Jin's a better bender than me." Muttered Lee so quietly he could barely hear himself. Aang leaned forward; he said something about Jin.

"What?" asked Aang. Lee looked down in shame. What kind of a man was angry that his wife was succeeding.

"Jin's a better bender than me! She gets everything Uncle tells her the first time and she's almost a master air bender." Said Lee. He took deeper and deeper breaths until his inner fire was calmed.

"No she's not." Said Aang. He felt saying bad things about Jin but she was nowhere near a master air bender.

"She's not?" asked Lee incredulously. Aang had been teaching her constantly and he almost never had to review anything with her. Not like him and Uncle, going over and over everything. Like a failure.

"Nope. She can bend air but she's not that great with air bending forms. Not even bending in general really." Said Aang. Lee was confused.

"But her form is perfect and you never have her review anything." Said Lee. She was like Azula, form after form after form flawlessly.

"She's good at fire bending forms I guess but she tells the air what to do. In air bending you work with the air, you don't order it around. It's like having a friend you can bend." Said Aang. Lee felt better now. He knew it was wrong to feel better but he did.

"Let's go back to the group." Said Lee. He and Aang went back to camp and made their apologies. Jin forgave him and they went about their day as usual. Jin chocked his outburst up to the impending eclipse. Long after night fell they all laid themselves down to sleep. All but Ty-Lee.

"Goodbye, everybody." Said Ty-Lee. Aang had learned all that he needed for the time being. She couldn't go to the Fire Nation with them. If the invasion plan didn't work out she'd be tortured and executed for high treason. The last guy who performed high treason was publically skinned alive and then cooked. She gathered her things and went down the mountain. She'd find a town and then make her way back to the circus. She could perform for coins to pay for her passage somewhere. She stumbled down a steep path, completely losing her footing. She threw her arms in front of her and a soft cushion of air caught her.


End file.
